Zakia Jafri
Zakia Jafri, the widow of Ehsan Jafri, a former Member of Parliament who was killed during the 2002 anti-Muslim Gujarat riots, passed away on Saturday at the age of 86. Her late husband was one of 69 victims killed inside Gulbarg Society, a predominantly Muslim neighborhood in Gujarat, on February 28, 2002, when Hindu mobs unleashed violence during the riots.
Official government figures estimate that at least 790 Muslims were killed, with 223 more reported missing and over 2,500 wounded. Rights groups, however, suggest the death toll was much higher, documenting cases of rape and child killings during the violence.
The Gujarat riots, which lasted over a week, were seen as a targeted attack on Muslims, allegedly orchestrated by Hindu nationalist groups to fuel communal tensions and further the political ambitions of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), then led by Narendra Modi, the current Prime Minister of India. Human Rights Watch accused militant groups operating with state patronage of being involved in the violence.
In the years that followed, Zakia Jafri relentlessly pursued justice through the Indian legal system, determined to hold political leaders accountable for the violence.
She alleged a “larger conspiracy” that included high-ranking officials, notably Gujarat’s then Chief Minister Narendra Modi. She claimed there was bureaucratic inaction, police complicity, and delays in deploying the army to quell the violence, which exacerbated the situation.
Jafri’s legal battle spanned over a decade. In 2007, the Indian Supreme Court ordered the Gujarat government to reopen the case.
Later, she filed a plea demanding a chargesheet against Modi and others she believed were responsible for the riots. Despite her efforts, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed in 2011 by the Supreme Court cleared Modi and 63 others, giving them a “clean chit” in 2012 after concluding that there was no prosecutable evidence to support allegations of conspiracy and inaction.
For years, Modi’s supporters saw the SIT’s findings as a vindication, while Jafri and other victims’ families expressed disappointment and continued seeking justice through other legal means.
The case highlighted the challenges in addressing communal violence and holding powerful individuals accountable.
In 2005, Modi was denied a US visa due to his alleged role in the Gujarat riots, and the UK and European nations followed suit by imposing de facto travel bans. In 2023, a BBC documentary titled India: The Modi Question raised further questions, citing an inquiry conducted by the UK government into the 2002 violence.
The report claimed that the violence was “planned, possibly in advance” by Vishva Hindu Parishad, a Hindu nationalist group, and held Modi directly responsible. The documentary was banned in India shortly after its release.
Zakia Jafri’s long and difficult legal battle served as a testament to her unwavering quest for justice for the victims of the Gujarat riots, even as her efforts were often met with resistance and frustration.
