Attack at Sabarmati Ashram was a conspiracy to kill me: Patkar

Social activist and Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar today told a local court that the attack during a public meeting at Sabarmati Ashram here after the 2002 riots was a part of a "conspiracy" to kill her.
Patkar today deposed before Metropolitan Magistrate A S Desai, in connection with her complaint about the incident that took place eleven years ago.
"I feel that this episode was a conspiracy to kill me. Several people hatched this conspiracy," she said repeatedly during her examination in the court.
During a public meeting to condemn the riots, held on March 7, 2002, a mob of Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad workers protested Patkar's presence, and allegedly attacked her and other prominent social activists present there.

Several people, including some media-persons, sustained injuries during the melee.
Patkar, apart from filing police complaint, also filed a private complaint in the magistrate's court.

During her over three hours long examination, Patkar said that all the policemen present there simply looked on while she was being assaulted.
Patkar identified four accused -- former Ahmedabad mayor Amit Shah, BJP leader Amit Thakar, V K Saxena and Rohit Patel -- who were present in the court.
"A tall person kicked me, and then hit me on my shoulder and neck. Mob collectively attacked me and thrashed me, pulled me down and my head was banged against the wall. They all humiliated me," she told the court.

She has also submitted a DVD containing the TV footages of the incident. The next hearing would be on October 7.