Gulberg case: court may hear plea to make 4 ex-cops accused

A special court, trying the case pertaining to the 2002 Gulberg Society riot in which 69 persons including former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri were killed, may hear next week a plea filed by victims seeking to arraign four retired IPS officers in the case.
Special trial court judge P B Desai is likely to hear the on December 2 the application filed by victims through their advocate S M Vora.
The officers, whose arraignment is sought for "negligence of duty" include city Police Commissioner P C Pandey, Joint Commissioner of Police M K Tandon, Assistant Commissioner of police P B Gondia and Assistant Commissioner of Police (city crime branch) S S Chudasama--(all retired).

During the final hearing of the case, Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) R C, Kodekar appearing for the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigating Team (SIT), today submitted the details of the incident that had happened on February 28, 2002.
"After the Godhra train burning incident, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) had given a call for 'bandh' on February 28. Following which, police were deployed in communally-sensitive areas like Dariyapur of the city," Kodekar told the court.
"In Meghaninaghar, where Gulberg Society falls, was not given priority as there was no record of communal tension reported in the past," he said.

"There were three police stations in Meghaninagar area. Gulberg Society comes under the jurisdiction of Chamanpura police station. Bungalow number 19 of the Society housed eminent citizen and a peaceful person Ehsan Jafri who was elected as MP in 1977," he said.

"On February 28, 2002, around 7 in the morning, tension started from Meghaninagar area's last bus stop when some of the houses and shops of minority community were torched by unruly mob," Kodekar said.
"At around 10 am, the mob started gathering at the gate of Gulberg Society. A man, standing besides an auto-rickshaw, was stabbed by the mob which later on climbed up on the terrace of the bungalow number one and started pelting stones. Soon afterwards, the two gates and a wall of the Society were broken with some explosive and the unruly mob entered into it," Kodekar submitted.