Dr Maya Kodnani, former minister in the Modi government and an accused in the 2002 Naroda Patiya riot case, on Thursday alleged that the investigation carried out by the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team was biased. Terming her arrest as a political conspiracy, Kodnani accused the SIT of working at the behest of the Congress.

Kodnani levelled these allegations while talking to the media after she was produced before the Metropolitan Court by the SIT. The court extended her police remand for three more days along with that of former VHP general secretary Jaydeep

Patel.

Giving a political tone to her arrest, Kodnani said she has been subjected to atrocities, and that the people of the country, particularly the women, would give a fitting reply to this in the Lok Sabha elections.

She further said: “Yesterday, SIT chief R K Raghavan and C V Satpathy (an SIT member) were in their office. We tried to represent certain issues to Raghavan thrice, but he refused to meet us. This shows the prejudice with which the SIT is functioning.” “However, we have full faith in judiciary and are confident that we’ll come out of the case innocent,” she added.

Even Patel accused the SIT of conducting one-sided investigation. He also expressed his faith in judiciary, saying he was confident of coming out clean in the case.

The two leaders were produced before the magistrate in a packed courtroom.

When they were brought out, a number of people shouted slogans in their support.

Kodnani and Patel are accused of leading rioting mobs in the Naroda Patiya and Naroda Gam areas on the city’s outskirts, where 106 people were killed on February 28, 2002.

A number of witnesses in the case have stated to have seen them Patel near the rioting site, distributing inflammable material and weapons to the rioters.

Cong hits back at arrested minister, says state govt picked SIT members

REACTING to Maya Kodnani’s allegations that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) is working at the behest of the Congress, party’s Gujarat unit president Siddharth Patel said she levelled these charges to hide names of the ‘real people’ behind her arrest.

Patel said: “The SIT, probing some of the post-Godhra riot cases afresh, was constituted by the Supreme Court. The Gujarat government selected officers to SIT. So, how can the Congress be responsible for that?”

“The affidavit against Kodnani in the Sessions and Gujarat High Court was filed by the SIT. Also, her anticipatory bail was cancelled after SIT’s petition in the high court,” he said, adding: “So, it is quite obvious who are the real people behind this. Where does the Congress have a hand in this? Everything has been done by the Gujarat government.”

Kodnani, a BJP MLA, had resigned from the post of state minister after the Gujarat High Court cancelled her and co-accused Jaideep Patel’s anticipatory bail last week.