Sharad Pawar terms acquittal of 67 accused in 2002 Naroda Gam riot case as murder of rule of law, Constitution

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar termed the acquittal of all 67 accused in the 2002 Naroda Gam riot case as the murder of rule of law and the Constitution.

A court in Gujarat on Thursday acquitted all surviving 67 accused in the case related to the killing of 11 Muslims during a riot in Ahmedabad's Naroda Gam area in 2002 in the aftermath of the Godhra train burning incident.

Speaking at a gathering of NCP's workers in suburban Ghatkopar, he also blamed the Maharashtra government for the deaths of people due to sunstroke at the Maharashtra Bhushan award ceremony in Kharghar, and demanded a judicial probe. 

NCP chief accused the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government of negligence in the organisation of the award ceremony on April 16. Only a probe by a retired judge will fix responsibility for the tragedy, he said.

Anil Deshmukh was jailed for 13 months on allegations of taking bribes of Rs 100 crore, and in the charge sheet the probe agency described donations of Rs one and a half crore for his educational institution as a bribe. I also head several educational institutions, if I take donations for them, are they supposed to be bribes, he asked.