Gujarat 'riot minister' resigns

[frigidmagi]

BBC

A minister in India's Gujarat state, Mayaben Kodnani, accused over the anti-Muslim riots of 2002, has surrendered to police and resigned her posts.

Ms Kodnani is alleged to have led a mob of rioters in Ahmedabad's Naroda Patiya area. She denies the charge.

Nearly 60 Muslims were killed in this Muslim-dominated area with more than half of the 1,300 houses destroyed.

After evading arrest for two years, Ms Kodnani had asked the Gujarat high court for bail but was refused.

Following the rejection, Ms Kodnani on Friday resigned from her posts as junior minister for higher education and minister for women and child welfare

Witnesses

Dismissing the bail application, the high court said that "religious fanatics don't belong to any religion and they are no better than terrorists".

A special investigating team, appointed by India's Supreme Court to investigate several riot cases in Gujarat, says more than a dozen witnesses saw an armed Ms Kodnani leading the rioters.

Ms Kodnani, a member of the state's governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has denied the involvement.

Analysts say the news will be an embarrassment for the BJP with parliamentary elections due to begin in just over two weeks.

Gujarat's Chief Minister Narendra Modi was accused of failing to halt the religious violence.

In fact, his opponents say he indirectly egged on Hindu mobs who are believed to have led most of the attacks.

But his supporters say he could have done little under the circumstances to prevent the violence.

Last year, a commission of inquiry set up by the state government exonerated Mr Modi over the riots.

At least 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed.

They began after about 60 Hindus died in a fire on a train.

[Cynical Cat]

The BJP is pretty fucking loathsome. Anti-Muslim riots are par for the course for them. I hope heads roll.