Wednesday, December 28, 2005

'Mass grave' unearthed in Gujarat

Villagers have found the remains of a number of bodies in a grave in the Indian state of Gujarat, officials say.

Human rights activists say they are the remains of Muslims killed in the 2002 Gujarat riots.

But a senior police official says it is still unclear whether the remains belong to riot victims or whether an older graveyard has been dug up.

More than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed in the 2002 riots, although many believe the figure to be higher.

Judicial inquiry

Residents of the Pandarwada village in the state's Panchmahal district uncovered the remains near a river bank.

Twenty-six people are said to have died in an attack on the village in 2002.

A human rights activist, Teesta Setalvad, says all those accused of carrying out the killings were acquitted in 2002 for lack of evidence.

She says human rights organisations will now approach the Gujarat High Court on Wednesday to press for the remains of the bodies to be sent for a forensic test.

The director general of police in Gujarat, AK Bhargav, says a team of police officials has been sent to the area to investigate.

The Gujarat riots broke out after 58 Hindus were killed when a train was set on fire in the town of Godhra, allegedly by a Muslim mob.

The Sabarmati Express was carrying Hindu pilgrims returning from the disputed holy site at Ayodhya when it was attacked. How the blaze started is not clear.

Gujarat police and local authorities have been heavily criticised for failing to come to the help of victims during the violence, which was among the worst in India since partition in 1947.

A judicial inquiry into the riots is still to conclude its investigation.

Source: BBC News

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