Zakia Jafri is the wife of the late Indian politician and member of Parliament Ehsan Jafri. She is known for filing several cases in court against the Gujarat government for its role in the 2002 Gujarat riots.
wiki/bio
Zakia Ahsan Jafri was born in 1937 (age 85; as of 2022) in Khandwa, Princely State of Indore, British India (now Madhya Pradesh, India).
family
Zakia Jafri was born into a Muslim family in Madhya Pradesh.
parents
Her father is a farmer.
husband and children
Her husband, Ehsan Jafri, is a politician and lawyer. He was killed when a mob attacked his Gulbag Society residence during the 2002 Gujarat riots.
Zakia with Ehsan Jafri
Her daughter Nishrin Jafri Hussain is an assistant manager at Larsen & Toubro (L&T).
Zakia Jafri and her daughter Nishrin Hussain
Her elder son Tanvir Jafri is a businessman.
Zakia Jafri and her son Tanvir Jafri
Her youngest son Zubair Jafri is the chief technology officer (CTO) of a private company in the United States.
Zakia and Ehsan Jafri with their youngest son Zubair
religion
Zakia Jafri believes in Islam.
Zakia Jafri prays at her home
1969 Madhya Pradesh riots
In 1969, communal riots broke out in Zakia Jafri’s hometown of Khandwa, resulting in her house being destroyed in an arson attack. As a result, Zakia and her family had to move to a refugee camp. In 1970, after spending several months in a refugee camp, Zakia moved to Ahmedabad with her husband.
Photos taken by Zakia Jafri in the early 1960s
2002 Gujarat riots
On February 27, 2002, the S-6 carriage of the Sabarmati Express carrying Hindu pilgrims from Ayodhya to Gujarat was burned down, 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. To further investigate the train fire incident, the central government set up a committee in 2002, which stated in its report that the fire was caused by an accident. In 2003, the commission was ruled unconstitutional. Massive riots broke out in Gujarat after the train was burnt. On February 28, 2002, a mob surrounded Gulbarg Society, where most of the residents were Muslims, with the intention of burning it down. Many residents went to Ehsan Jafri’s home to escape the angry mob. Somehow, the thugs managed to break into the association compound and started attacking the residents. They even set fire to Ehsan Jafri’s house, killing more than 69 people. After the mob burned down Ehsan’s bungalow, they dragged him out of the house and brutally lynched him. When the house was attacked by mobs, Zakia Jafri hid on the first floor of the house and was rescued.
Zakia Jafri’s home burned down by mobs in 2002
File a petition to the Supreme Court
On June 8, 2006, Zakia Jafri along with social activist Teesta Setalvad, former DGP of RB Sreekumar of Gujarat and former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt Bhatt filed a joint petition in the Supreme Court in which she claimed that the 2002 Gujarat riots were caused by then Chief Minister Narendra Modi, VHP leader Praveen Toga Praveen Togadia and Jaideep Patel, and the then DGP of Gujarat PC Pandey. After the petition was filed, the Supreme Court set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) in 2008, chaired by then Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director RK Raghavan. In 2010, the SIT submitted its report to the Supreme Court, which later submitted the report to its amicus curiae (adviser to the court) Raju Ramachandran. In the same year, an amicus curiae submitted a report to the court pointing out the inconsistencies found in the SIT report. In 2011, the SIT rejected the amicus curiae submissions and submitted a closing report. On April 10, 2012, the Supreme Court acquitted all the accused, including the then Chief Minister of Gujarat, without finding conclusive evidence. On April 15, 2013, Teesta Setalvad’s NGO Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) and Zakia Jafri filed a joint protest petition in the Supreme Court, demanding that the evidence collected by the SIT be handed over to the petitioners for review. . The SIT filed a counter petition in the same year stating:
Teesta Setalvad and others fabricated complaints against the chief minister who never said he wanted to kill anyone. Their lawyers further argued that the alleged incident in which the chief minister (Narendra Modi) directed senior police officers (in a meeting) not to take action against the rioters was Teesta Setalvad’s original creation. There is no evidence of this and Setalwad was not present during the incident. “
Gulbarg Society Massacre Trial
In 2006, after Zakia Jafri filed a PIL in the Supreme Court, a case was registered against 60 people for their alleged involvement in the Gulbag society massacre. On June 17, 2016, the Supreme People’s Court issued a first-instance judgment against the defendant. In its verdict, the Supreme Court acquitted 36 people due to lack of evidence and convicted 24 people for playing an active role in the 2002 Gulbag Society massacre. The court, while passing sentence on the convicts, called February 28, 2002, “the darkest day in the history of civil society in Gujarat.” Among the 24 criminals, 11 were sentenced to life imprisonment, 1 was sentenced to 10 years in prison, and 12 were sentenced to 7 years in prison. After the verdict was announced, Zakia Jafri expressed her disappointment. She said in an interview,
All criminals were part of the same mob, committed heinous crimes and equally deserved life sentences. Those who were earlier acquitted should equally be brought to justice. I will consult with her attorney about next steps. To me, this case is not over yet. I will prosecute the acquitted. This is unfair. A man who had done so much for the people was chopped up and burned to death in the streets. I cannot agree with this. I am asking for a life sentence for every criminal because everyone was there that day. ”
Petition against SIT providing clean record to accused
On November 13, 2018, Zakia Jafri, Teesta Setalvad, RB Sreekumar and Sanjiv Bhatt filed a joint petition in the Supreme Court challenging the clean evidence provided by the SIT and the Supreme Court to those accused of involvement in the 2002 Gujarat riots, including Prime Minister Naren Dera Modi. In June 2022, the Supreme Court upheld the SIT investigation report and quashed the joint petition. In its verdict, the court said that Tista, Srikumar and Bhatt took advantage of Zakia Jafri’s emotions for their own benefit. The court stated in its judgment,
Tista and others have been exploiting Zakia Jafri’s emotions and emotions to persecute this lie with ulterior motives with a vengeance. These procedures have been ongoing for the past 16 years in order to keep the pot boiling for ulterior purposes. All those involved in such abuse of process need to be arrested and dealt with to the full extent of the law. The appeal against the court’s 2012 decision was made in bad faith and at someone’s dictation. After a thorough investigation, the SIT completely exposed the falsity of their claims. ”
Facts/Trivia
- Every February 28, Zakia Jafri visits her house, which was destroyed in an arson attack during the 2002 Gujarat riots.
Zakia Jafri in her burned home
- In 2022, more than 90 former bureaucrats and several activists asked the Supreme Court to withdraw and review the observations made during its June 2022 judgment.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education