Ganesh Kendale
AHMEDABAD: A sessions court (Ahmedabad rural) has acquitted three persons over three decades after they were accused of spreading terror in post-Babri Masjid demolition riots. They were charged with bringing explosives to Ahmedabad, Gujarat, in 1993.
The court concluded that Pankaj Patel, Vrajlal Patel and Virukbhai Kharasiya, of Bhesan in Junagadh, did not know that their truck of wheat sacks also had seven bombs with detonators and 43 gelatin sticks.Rather, the consignment was sent by lawyer-politician Govind Desai to Ashok Bhatt, who later became a minister. The three accused were tasked to deliver a letter and the consignment to Bhatt.
Court noted that the letter stated that one person wished to make a secret donation of wheat grains to the riot-affected Hindus. The accused had no intention to be part of the conspiracy to spread violence, court added. “The prosecution’s allegations could not be proved. The theory set up by defence is more trustworthy. It transpires, from all evidence on record, that Pankaj was used as a bait to send explosives to Ahmedabad on pretext of sending wheat grains to riot-affected Hindus. The other two co-accused unfortunately accompanied Pankaj & got trapped in this offence,” court said.
They were booked under TADA besides criminal conspiracy (IPC) and under Explosive Substances Act.
