Maya Kodnani released due to shoddy investigation in Naroda Patiya case: Rana Ayyub

Maya Kodnani, accused in the Naroda Patiya massacre in Gujarat was acquitted by the Gujarat High Court on Friday. It was a natural outcome of the poor investigation into Naroda Patiya riot case of Gujarat, says Rana Ayyub, who who has written a book on the Gujarat genocide, Gujarat Files.

“The way SIT had twisted and manipulated the facts, this was bound to happen. It seems as if there is a phase of acquittal of the accused going on in the country,” points out Ayyub

“It seems now that the thousands of innocents killed during Gujarat riots will not get justice. The government is gradually stamping out all the investigations, be it Malegaon blast, Mecca Masjid or Samjhauta blast,” says Rana Ayyub .

Ayyub said the investigation in the matter of Maya Kodnani was conducted in a very poor way. Neither were the phone call records kept safely nor was any attention paid to the security of the witnesses. In such a scenario, the case against Maya Kodnani was bound to be weak.

All of us who were following this case closely had realised this already that the case was being made weaker constantly.

During her sting operation Rana had met Maya Kodnani in the guise of Maithili Tyagi and later published the details in her book- Gujarat Files. This meeting with Maya Kodnani was published in Chapter 10 of the book. In this meeting Kodnani tries to convey it clearly that on that day she was with Amit Shah. In a way, she tries to establish that if she is held responsible for the Naroda Patiya riots then Amit Shah too can not be acquitted. During the hearing of the case, Kodnani has asked for the permission to present the BJP national president as a witness. It too was a part of the pressure tactics. The government does not want to face any more trouble regarding the BJP national president Amit Shah, who is already embroiled in controversies in the cases of Sohrabuddin encounter and Justice Loya’s mysterious death. This also clearly seems to be the case in the Naroda Patiya case verdict.

Here is the excerpt from Rana Ayyub’s book, chapter 10, where Rana Ayub in guise of Maithili Tyagi had recorded this conversation with Kodnani with a hidden capera:

Riots took place in entire state of Gujarat but they were after the MLA of Naroda that is me....

Q) So you were made scapegoat?

Ans) Yes.

Q) So, what happened during the interrogation of Modi?

Ans) In the interrogation by SIT, he was also questioned, but he was released..

Q) But the way you were arrested, he should also have been arrested?

Ans) Yes, yes.. (nodding)

Q) I am meeting Modi tomorrow ...

Ans) When you meet Modi ask him, why is he such a controversial person?

Q) Really?

Ans) He turns everything in his favour.

Q) So, did these people come to meet you in prison?

Ans) No, nobody came.

Q) Now, you can go to jail anytime?

Ans) Yes, any time, any day, as soon as the verdict comes..

Q) What questions should I ask Modi, now he will twist and circumvent my questions?

Ans) You should also ask questions in an indirect way. First praise him and then ask questions..

Q) About you?

Ans) Ask him in some other way, indirectly, ask why are some of his ministers involved in this?

Ask PC Pandey. He knows everything, He knows the truth. Ask him, he was the police commissioner of Ahmedabad.

Q) Then why doesn’t he speak the truth?

Ans) I don’t know.

Q) Now I get it why his face dimmed (on asking about Kodnani)?

Ans) Why would he now talk about me?

Q) And Modi?

Ans) You praise him, praise his way of functioning. Then he will talk. You know what replies he will give. The same oft repeated replies- ‘I love Vivekananda, I admire Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel.’ If you ask about me, he will say, ‘ Well, what can we do, there was SIT, phone call records.’ Or he will give a short and sweet reply ‘the matter is still in the court.’

Q) But all these things imply on him too?

Ans) Yes, yes… ask him this.