Gujarat riots: HC backs acquittal of five Hindus in vadodara Muslim’s murder
New Delhi: The Gujarat High Court has confirmed the acquittal of five men involved in killing of Samsuddin alias Kasamkhan by throwing him alive into a fire during the 2002 Gujarat riots.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the court ruled that the prosecution could not prove their role beyond a reasonable doubt.
A division bench of Justices Nirzar S Desai and D N Ray said the case collapsed largely on identification. Key witnesses, including the deceased’s wife, could not pin specific actions on the accused. She placed some of them at the scene, but stopped short of saying they took part in the killing. Other witnesses admitted the attack was carried out by a mob of 400 to 500 people at night, making it impossible to single out individuals in the chaos.
The prosecution had said the five were part of a mob that stormed Samsuddin’s home and shop in Khodiarnagar, Vadodara, on the night of February 28, 2002. The group looted goods, torched the property, assaulted Samsuddin, and threw him into the flames. But the court flagged major gaps: the doctor who examined the remains could not confirm the bones belonged to Samsuddin, and the original complainant said she didn’t know who the rioters were. She only signed a complaint that was shown to her.
The killing took place during weeks of anti-Muslim violence that erupted across Gujarat after the Godhra train burning on February 27, 2002. Mobs linked to the VHP, RSS, and BJP were targeting Muslims in coordinated attacks. Official estimates say around 3,000 Muslims were killed, 20,000 homes and businesses destroyed, 360 places of worship damaged, and nearly 150,000 people displaced.
Narendra Modi, Gujarat’s chief minister at the time and now prime minister, faced allegations that his administration allowed the violence to unfold. Critics pointed to reports that mobs carried lists of Muslim properties and that many attacks happened near police stations.
