Ahmedabad: A session court in Ahmedabad recently acquitted four men accused of riots and fires caused in the city’s narod area during community violence that followed the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992-93. “No evidence, including CCTV images or any ocular witness that can link the accused with this crime, has occurred before this court,” said additional sessions VB Rajput.
The police had presented two FIR on January 10, 1993, which led to the arrest of 13 people from a mafia that looted and set fires belonging to members of the minority community near Naroda Kabrast. It was believed that violence was in retaliation for murder of a merchant in the area. Of those arrested, Kaushik Patel, Samir Patel, Chandrakant Valand and Bhagwan Patel, were judged. During the trial, only a handful of witnesses appeared. The injured man became hostile, while the police witness could not recognize the accused.