Zakia Jafri is the wife of late Indian politician and Member of Parliament Ehsan Jafri. She is known for filing several cases in court against the alleged role of the Gujarat government during the 2002 Gujarat riots.
Contents
wiki/bio
Zakia Ahsan Jafri was born in 1937 (age 85 years; as of 2022) in Khandwa, Indore princely state, British India (now in Madhya Pradesh, India).
Family
Zakia Jaffrey belongs to a Muslim family from Madhya Pradesh.
Guardian
His father was a farmer.
husband and children
Her husband Ehsan Jafri was a politician and lawyer. He was killed during the 2002 Gujarat riots when a mob attacked his residence in Gulberg Society.
Zakia and Ehsaan Jaffrey together
His daughter, Nishreen Jafri Hussain, is a deputy manager at Larsen & Toubro (L&T).
Zakia Jaffrey with her daughter Nishreen Hussain
His elder son Tanveer Jaffrey is a businessman.
Zakia Jaffrey with her son Tanveer Jaffrey
His youngest son, Zubair Jafri, is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at a private firm in the United States.
Zakia and Ehsaan Jafri with their youngest son Zubair
Religion
Zakia Jafri follows the religion of Islam.
Zakia Jafri praying at her home
Riots in Madhya Pradesh in 1969
In 1969, communal riots broke out in Zakia Jafri’s hometown Khandwa, resulting in her house being destroyed in arson. As a result, Zakiya and her family had to move to a refugee camp. In 1970, after living in a refugee camp for a few months, Zakia moved to Ahmedabad with her husband.
A photograph of Zakia Jafri taken in the early 1960s
Gujarat riots of 2002
On 27 February 2002, S-6 coach of the Sabarmati Express carrying Hindu pilgrims from Ayodhya to Gujarat was burnt, resulting in the death of 59 pilgrims. According to the Nanavati-Mehta Commission report, the train was set on fire by a Muslim mob of 1,000 to 2,000 people. In 2002, the Central Government constituted a commission to further investigate the train fire incident, which in its report said that the train fire was accidental. In 2003 the commission was held unconstitutional. After the burning of the train, large-scale riots broke out in Gujarat. On 28 February 2002, a mob surrounded Gulberg Society, where most of the residents were Muslims, with the intention of burning it. Many residents went to Ehsan Jafri’s house to escape the angry mob. The mob, somehow, managed to enter the society’s premises and started attacking the residents. They also set fire to Ehsaan Jafri’s house, in which more than 69 people died. After burning the bungalow, the mob dragged Ehsaan out of his house and brutally beat him to death. When the mob was attacking the house, Zakia Jafri hid on the first floor of the house and survived.
Zakia Jafri’s house which was burnt by the mob in 2002
Filing her petition in the Supreme Court
On 8 June 2006, Zakia Jaffrey filed a joint petition in the Supreme Court with social activist Teesta Setalvad, former Gujarat DGP RB Sreekumar and former IPS officer Sanjeev Bhatt, alleging that she had instigated the 2002 Gujarat riots. The then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, VHP leaders Praveen Togadia and Jaideep Patel and the then Gujarat DGP PC Pandey. After a petition was filed, the Supreme Court in 2008 constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by RK Raghavan, the then chief of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). In 2010, the SIT submitted its report to the Supreme Court after which the apex court submitted the report to its amicus curiae (adviser to the court) Raju Ramachandran. In the same year, the Amicus Curiae submitted its report to the court in which it explained the discrepancies found in the SIT report. In 2011, the SIT filed a closure report rejecting the comments of the amicus curiae. On 10 April 2012, finding no conclusive evidence, the Supreme Court acquitted all the accused, including the then CM of Gujarat. On 15 April 2013, Teesta Setalvad’s NGO Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) and Zakia Jafri filed a joint protest petition in the Supreme Court in which they demanded that the evidence collected by the SIT should be handed over to the petitioners for investigation. . , Filing a counter petition the same year, the SIT said,
Teesta Setalvad and others have refuted the complaint targeting the Chief Minister, who never said go and kill people. Her lawyer further said that the so-called incident (at the meeting) of the Chief Minister (Narendra Modi) directing high-level police officers not to take action against the rioters is the sole creation of Teesta Setalvad. There is no evidence of this and Setalvad was not present during the incident.
gulberg society massacre case
Following Zakia Jafri’s PIL in the Supreme Court in 2006, a case was registered against sixty people accusing them of playing a role in the Gulberg Society massacre. On June 17, 2016, the Supreme Court gave its verdict against the accused. In its verdict, the top court acquitted 36 people due to lack of evidence against them and convicted 24 people for playing an active role in the 2002 Gulberg Society massacre. While sentencing the culprits, the court described 28 February 2002 as “the darkest day in the history of Gujarat’s civil society”. Of the 24 convicts, 11 were given life imprisonment, one was given ten years’ jail and twelve were given seven years’ jail. Zakia Jafri expressed disappointment after the court announced its verdict. In an interview he said,
All the convicts were part of the same riotous mob that had committed the heinous crime and should have been awarded equal life imprisonment. Those who were acquitted earlier should also have been brought to justice in a similar manner. I will consult his lawyers on the next course of action. The matter is not closed for me. I will prosecute those who have been acquitted. This is injustice. The man who did so much for the people was hacked to death on the streets and burnt. I cannot agree with this. I demand life imprisonment for every culprit because everyone was present there that day.
Petition against SIT’s clean chit to the accused
On 13 November 2018, Zakia Jaffrey, Teesta Setalvad, RB Sreekumar and Sanjeev Bhatt filed a joint petition in the Supreme Court, challenging the clean chit given by the SIT and the Supreme Court to those accused of playing a role in the 2002 Gujarat riots. . In which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also included. In June 2022, the Supreme Court upheld the investigation report of the SIT and rejected the joint petition. The court said in its decision that Teesta, Srikumar and Bhatt had played with Zakia Jafri’s emotions for their own benefit. The court said in its decision,
Teesta and others are vindictively using this lie as part of their ulterior motives by exploiting Zakia Jafri’s feelings and sensitivities. Keeping the pot boiling for the last 16 years, the exterior design has been in action. All those involved in such abuse of process should be brought to book and action should be taken as per law. The appeal against the court’s 2012 decision has been made with malicious intent and under someone’s orders. After a thorough investigation, the SIT had completely exposed the falsehood of his claims.
Facts/General Knowledge
- Every year on 28 February, Zakia Jafri visits her house which was destroyed in arson during the 2002 Gujarat riots.
Zakia Jafri’s house was burnt
- In 2022, more than ninety former bureaucrats and several activists requested the Supreme Court to withdraw and review the observations made during its judgment in June 2022.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn