Gujarat Riots: Kerala CM recalls the 'unspeakable crimes', demands justice for Zakia Jafri

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has issued a rallying cry to stand with Zakia Jafri, the widow of former Congress MP, Ehsan Jafri, a victim of the Gujarat Riots in 2002.

Pinarayi, on Tuesday, tweeted a photograph of Ehsan Jafri on his 21st death anniversary. He said the memory of the Jafri "ignites our outrage over the 2002 Gujarat riots, a chilling reminder of the Sangh Parivar's callous disregard for humanity".

"Let's stand with Zakia Jafri in her fight for justice, and demand accountability for these unspeakable crimes," Pinarayi tweeted.

The Kerala CM made a lengthy post, in Malayalam, on Facebook.

"On February 28, 2002, when Sangh Parivar rioters stormed the Gulberg Society in Ahmedabad, the residents had sought refuge at the house of Ehsan Jafri. He rang up authorities seeking help, but they did not move a finger. Then the Sangh Parivar set them on fire, killing 69 at the Gulberg Society.

"Ehsan Jafri's wife Zakia has been waging a legal battle against the genocide for the last twenty years. She has not got her justice yet."

Last June, the Supreme Court dismissed a petition filed by Zakia Jafri challenging an SIT clean chit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a 'larger conspiracy case'. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat then.

Ehsan Jafri was killed in the Gulberg Society massacre during the riots.

The Gujarat riots and allegations against Modi were a subject of national interest in recent times when the BBC broadcast a two-part documentary, 'India: The Modi Question'.

The first part of the documentary claimed to look at the tensions between Modi and the Muslim minority in the country. The 59-minute episode alleged Modi was complicit in the riots that erupted shortly after the burning of a train at Godhra that resulted in 59 deaths.

Even though the documentary was not broadcast in India, opposition parties, especially its students' wings, hosted public screenings that led to protests from the BJP.