NEW DELHI – An Indian court found that none of the 26 men accused of gang raping and killing more than a dozen Muslims in horrible ways during the Gujarat riots of 2002 were guilty.
In a 20-year-old case, Indian media said that a court in the western state of Gujarat cleared 26 people of gang rape and the murder of Muslims.
The verdict given by an additional sessions judge on Friday, after the trial went on for 20 years and more than a dozen of the 39 people on trial died.
The court’s decision raised a lot of questions because the accused person involved in violent riots in March 2002. As proof for its case, the prosecution showed nearly 200 witnesses and more than 300 documentaries.
Twenty years ago, a case filed against the accused. It was after more than 2,000 people fought with deadly weapons and burned down stores and raped women.
When the riots happened, Narendra Modi, who is now the prime minister of India, was the chief minister of Gujarat. In recent news, a BBC documentary about the Indian prime minister’s actions during sectarian riots sparked new debate. At the same time, the BJP government kept its Hindu-centered policies. These policies targeted Muslims as part of a right-wing religious nationalist agenda.
The British state broadcaster’s documentary showed how the Muslim community was blamed. It led to a wave of bloody violence in which Hindu mobs attacked the homes of Muslims.
