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NARODA PATIYA, a locality in Ahmedabad, is where one of the worst massacres occurred during the 2002 Gujarat pogrom. Official figures put the toll at 83 but the actual number is much higher as many bodies were never found. It has been almost four years since the day of the gruesome attack on Naroda Patiya. The survivors are still struggling to get their lives back on track.
Meanwhile, the trial of the case has been stayed in the local courts because the National Human Rights Commission petitioned the Supreme Court to have the cases tried outside the State to safeguard the witnesses and ensure that they get a fair trial.
The matter has been lying in the Supreme Court for two years. It has not even designated a bench of judges to hear the case yet.
Along with Naroda Patiya, the progress of four other important cases has also been stalled.
Dionne Bunsha spoke to one of the witnesses from Naroda Patiya who preferred to remain anonymous.
"The horrors we have seen won't go away so easily, but every day it becomes easier to deal with the fear. Life hasn't returned to normal even though it's been many years since the carnage.
"Many people have moved to places such as Vatva, a distant suburb, where it is not easy to find work. Even though I still live in Naroda Patiya, I find it difficult to make ends meet. I have a cotton mattress shop but I get only a quarter of the business that I used to get before the riots. People still do not want to go to Muslim shops. They still have that feeling towards us. They do not want to see Muslims progress.
"Some couples sent their children to boarding schools in other States, such as Kerala and Maharashtra. A few of those children have been sent back home. I do not know why. Here the school is far. Our children are looked at differently in the school here. There is some discrimination so parents are scared to send them.
"I am a witness, so I have been given police protection. A constable comes to my house every day. Another witness, Bibi Banu, also had police protection but she was killed by her relative some months back over some dispute. She had complained to the police about him earlier but they did not do anything. So, what was the point of all the security? Why did not the police take action when she complained?
"The more the case is delayed, the more it will weaken. Many witnesses may not remember as well with passage of time. They may get confused. Some may get scared and decide to let it be and not to speak. Even after the trial, we will be in danger and should be careful of those who we will testify against. It would be better if the trial were outside Gujarat. How can we get justice in a State where the Chief Minister engineered all the violence?"
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