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Maya Kodnani Wasn't In Naroda Gam, BJP Chief Amit Shah Tells Court In 2002 Gujarat Riots Case

Kodnani has already been convicted in the Naroda Patiya case.
Twitter/ANI

Appearing before a sessions court in Ahmedabad on Monday to testify for Maya Kodnani, who is an accused in the 2002 Naroda Gam riots case, BJP chief Amit Shah has backed Kodnani's alibi.

Shah told the court:

Kodnani, who was the Minister of State for Women and Child Development in Gujarat, is accused of inciting a mob that killed 11 Muslims in Naroda Gam on February 28, 2002.

Kodnani has been convicted and sentenced to 28 years in prison in the Naroda Patiya massacre where 97 Muslims were killed. She was granted bail in 2014 after she told court that she was extremely unwell.

Reuters had reported, that according to witness statements, "Kodnani handed out swords to Hindu rioters, exhorted them to attack Muslims and at one point fired a pistol".

While even in the Naroda Gam case witnesses had said she incited violence, Kodnani had claimed that she was in the assembly in the morning and then went straight to at the Sola Civil Hospital where Shah was also present. The BJP chief has now back her claims.

Shah was a BJP legislator in Gujarat during the riots in 2002.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.