Naroda Gam riots: Kodnani was at hospital, claims witness

A defence witness today told the special court hearing the 2002 Naroda Gam riots case here that Maya Kodnani, a former BJP minister and an accused, was at the Sola Civil Hospital at the time of the incident.
Dinesh Makwana, sitting BJP councillor from Saijpur Bhoga area near Naroda Gam, told judge P B Desai that he had called up Kodnani at around 10:30 am on February 28, 2002 and learnt that she had gone to the Sola Civil Hospital (in Ahmedabad) where bodies of the victims of Godhra train burning incident had been brought.
His cousin Umakant Makwana was among the victims and his body too had been brought there, he said.

When the lawyer of the Special Investigation Team (the investigating agency in this case) wanted to know why Makwana did not approach the SIT when it had appealed to people to share with it whatever information they had about Naroda Gam case, he said he did not know about the appeal.
The hearing will resume on Friday.
Naroda Gam massacre is one of the nine major post-Godhra riot cases which were investigated by the SIT.
Eleven persons belonging to the minority community were killed at Naroda Gam on the outskirts of Ahmedabad on February 28, 2002, a day after the Godhra incident.

A total of 82 persons, including Maya Kodnani, are facing trial in the case.