Godhra Carnage: Special Court hearing on Oct 8

Mumbai, Oct 7: An arguement of witnesses in the special court will commence from tomorrow in the 'Bilkis Banoo gangrape-cum-massacre' case in the post Godhra Carnage in 2002.

Additional Session Judge U D Salvi, presiding over the case had fixed a date of tomorrow for commencement of arguement as, recording of witness statment had been completed.

Bilkis Banoo, a key witness, had made an application in the Supreme Court seeking transfer of trial proceeding out of Gujarat, following the Court had transferred the case to Maharashtra in the year 2004.

The prosecution had examined more than 50 witnesses from Gujarat and thereafter, defence advocated examined nine witnesses during the trial proceeding here.

In this case of fourteen relatives, including bilkis's three-year-old child, mother and two sisters were killed by a mob on March 3, 2002 at Radghanpur village in Dahod district of Gujarat.

She has made Jaswant Nai, Govind Nai and Naresh Moriya accused of raping her.

Bilkis also stated in her complaint that at the time of communal riot she was pregnant, and her family members were chased by a violent mob on the crime date and were caught in a field outside her village. She and other women members were gangraped and all the fourteen others were killed.

UNI