By IANS
Eral (Gujarat) : Madinabibi, the complainant and key witness in a case of communal violence in 2002 in this Gujarat village, is not happy with the life sentence awarded by a court to eight convicts and acquittal of 29 accused. She will pursue the case further.
Madinabibi’s daughter and her in-laws were among the seven people killed before her eyes in her village as violence erupted in many parts of the state in the aftermath of the train burning tragedy at Godhra, near here, on Feb 27, 2002.
A sessions court in Godhra, about 140 km from Ahmedabad, Tuesday sentenced eight people to life imprisonment and three to a three-year term. It acquitted 29 people for lack of evidence.
Not satisfied with the quantum of punishment, Madinabibi has decided to pursue the case further and see that those who have been let off are also punished.
She told reporters here that some cases deserved death penalty.
Advocate Siraj Malik who led the prosecution team was also planning to file an appeal against the acquittals.
With Tuesday’s convictions the number of people convicted for the 2002 communal violence has risen to 59 in Panchmahals district. Trials are still on in 1,000-odd cases reopened following a Supreme Court order.