Narendra Modi, the chief minister of Gujarat and the “poster boy for growth in India, may be in trouble finally,†Hartosh Singh Bal wrote in The New York Times's Latitude blog. “At least he should be.â€
During the 2002 Gujarat riots, a mob killed 97 Muslims including 36 women and 35 children, in the town of Naroda Patiya, in Gujarat state, Mr. Bal wrote. “The mobâ€, he wrote was led by Maya Kodnani, a legislator from Mr. Modi's own party, right-wing BJP party. “Yet five years after the riots, Modi appointed Kodnani minister for women and child welfare in Gujarat.†In 2009, when a court ordered her arrest, “she disappeared for over a month,†he wrote.
Last week, Ms. Kodnani was “convicted of murder, criminal conspiracy and arson and s entenced to 28 years in prison,†he wrote. But in her ruling the judge noted that Ms. Kodnani had been “tremendously favored by the then investigating agencies,†throughout the inquiry, “at least before a Supreme Court-appointed body took over,†Mr. Bal wrote. Read more '
