FRESH LIST OF 100 ACCUSED OF GUJARAT RIOTS PREPARED

The Special Investigation Team, appointed by the Supreme Court, has prepared a fresh list of about 100 persons allegedly involved in the 2002 communal riots in Gujarat. The team, headed by the former CBI Director R.K. Raghavan, has been asked to conduct a detailed probe into a dozen serious incidents. It will have to submit its report to the court by December. The new names of the accused cropped up during an in-camera questioning of some of the riot victims. The SIT meetings with the victims were videographed but the outcome was kept confidential. The new names reportedly included some top politicians and bureaucrats as well as some senior police officers of the time. During the initial probe by the State police, the victims were scared of naming influential leaders and police officers for fear of reprisals, the sources said. These leaders were accused of either being directly involved in the riots or having played important roles in instigating the rioters to attack the minorities, the sources claimed.