PHOTO: REUTERSAn Indian court on Thursday acquitted 69 Hindus, including a former minister from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), of the murder of 11 Muslims during communal riots in the western state of Gujarat in 2002. Also read: Indian court acquits 26 accused of rape, murder in 2002 Gujarat riotsBajrang Dal and VHP are Hindu nationalist groups and have close links to the BJP. Kodnani was also an accused in a case in which 97 people were killed in the 2002 riots. At least 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed across Gujarat in the 2002 riots. Critics accused Modi, who was chief minister at the time, of failing to protect Muslims.

Source: The Express Tribune April 21, 2023 05:18 UTC