Halol: The Halol sessions court has declared 39 accused innocent in the case of Kalol communal riots that occurred following the Godhra train carnage of 2002. The case had been ongoing in the Halol sessions court for 20 years, 4 months, and 13 days.

According to the police complaint filed based on the statements of affected individuals in relief camps in Kalol in Panchmahal, 38 Muslims from Delol were travelling to Kalol in a tempo to escape an attack by locals from surrounding villages on March 1, 2002. The tempo flipped when a mob of 300 to 400 people attacked them on a road near a culvert in Ambika society. As per the complaint, 11 people from the tempo died during the alleged attack when they came out of the vehicle. Eighteen others escaped, but one female was allegedly raped.

Kalol police filed a crime against 39 accused individuals and arrested them. However, after an investigation spanning 20 years, which included a review of the evidence, and arguments from lawyers and prosecutors, the Halol court has declared all 39 accused innocent as the crime was not proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

Of the 39 accused, 13 have passed away, including four Muslims and two females. The group also included a PSI who was serving at Kalol police station at the time and a corporator. The PSI and corporator have also passed away. DeshGujarat