SC relieves SIT chief Raghavan from 2002 Gujarat riots probe

The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed Special Investigation Team (SIT) chief R K Raghavan and another SIT member K Venkatesam to be relieved from their duties with regard to probing the 2002 Gujarat riots cases.

Appreciating the work done by the SIT, the apex court asked A K Malhotra, another member, to head the team and to continue filing quarterly status reports about the progress in the cases before the apex court.

The 2002 Gujarat riots was a three-day period of inter-communal violence that took place in Gujarat.

Following the initial incident, there were further outbreaks of violence in Ahmedabad for three months. There were further outbreaks of communal riots against the minority Muslim population for next one year.

The burning of a train in Godhra on February 27, 2002, which caused the deaths of 58 Hindu pilgrims karsevaks returning from Ayodhya, is believed to have triggered off the violence.

According to official figures, the riots resulted in the deaths of 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus; 2,500 people were injured non-fatally, and 223 more were reported missing.

Other sources estimate that over 2000 people died. Instances of rape, children being burned alive, and widespread looting and destruction of property were also reported.