Zakia Jafri

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Zakia Jafri is the wife of the Indian politician, Ehsan Jafri, who was a member of parliament of the Indian National Congress. She frequently made headlines for filing several affidavits against the Narendra Modi-led Gujarat governments alleged role in fuelling the 2002 Gujarat riots.In 1969, Zakia Jafris home was burned by a mob due to an outbreak of communal riots in the Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh. This forced Zakia to live in a refugee camp along with her family. A photo of Zakia Jafri from the early 1960s.After staying in the refugee camps for a few months, in 1971, Zakia Jafri decided to shift to Ahmedabad with her husband, Ehsan Jafri.On 27 February 2002, the S-6 coach of the Sabarmati Express was burned, which led to the death of 59 Hindus who were returning from a pilgrimage from Ayodhya to Gujarat. According to the Nanavati-Mehta Commission (NMC), established in 2002 by the Gujarat government to investigate the 2002 Gujarat riots, the train was set on fire by a mob of 1,000 to 2,000 Muslims. [2]NDTV Another report, submitted in 2002 by a committee, established by the central government, stated that the train was burned because of an accident. [3]Economic and Political Weekly The report was rejected by the Gujarat government in 2003 when the committee was held unconstitutional.After the burning of the train, there was a massive outbreak of communal violence throughout the state. On 28 February 2002, a mob, seeking vengeance for the killing of the Hindus, surrounded the Gulbarg Societys compound in Ahmedabad with the intent of killing the societys residents, who were mostly Muslims. This resulted in the residents fleeing to Ehsan Jafris bungalow in the society, seeking refuge from the angry mob.On 28 February 2002, at 9 am, the mob broke through the societys perimeter walls and began attacking the residents. The mob even torched the bungalow of former MP Ehsan Jafri, which killed more than 69 people. Ehsan Jafri was dragged out of his house, and he was brutally lynched by the enraged mob. [4]The Wire Zakia Jafri, during the mobs attack, hid on the first floor of her house, with her kids, as a result of which she was saved. [5]Rediff.com House of Zakia Jafri that was burned by rioters in 2002.On 8 June 2006, Zakia Jafri filed her first petition in the Supreme Court, seeking justice for the victims of the Gulbarg Society massacre. The petition was filed jointly with Teesta Setalvad, R. B. Sreekumar, and Sanjiv Bhatt. In her petition, she levied a series of allegations against the then Chief Minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi, VHP leaders like Praveen Togadia and Jaideep Patel, and the then DGP of Gujarat P. C. Pandey. In her petition, she accused Narendra Modi and the Gujarat government of deliberately not taking any action against the rioters.In 2008, to investigate the matters related to the 2002 Gujarat riots, the Supreme Court constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the chairmanship of the then director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) R. K. Raghavan.Following its investigation, in 2010, the SIT submitted its report on the Gujarat riots to the Supreme Court. To examine the SITs report, the apex court, in 2010, appointed Raju Ramachandran as its amicus curiae (advisor to the court).In the same year, following his independent inquiry, Raju Ramachandran submitted his observations to the Supreme Court in which he pointed out several discrepancies in the SITs report. In 2011, the SIT rejected the amicus curiaes observations and filed a closure report with the Supreme Court. [6]Deccan Herald.