2002 Gujarat riots: Govt to declare missing as dead

After seven long years of wait since the February 28, 2002 anti-Muslim riot in Godhra, the Government of Gujarat is likely to update the total number of dead by declaring the missing persons as dead at the end of waiting period.

The communal violence that occurred a day after the burning of Sabarmati Express coming from Darbhanga to Ahmedabad near Godhra village in which 59 Hindus were burnt alive took its ugliest turn in the next few days. An official figure counts total number of dead as 952 while double the number of people injured.

Later, investigation had reported 228 persons missing, and as per law, any person declared missing for seven years, can be declared dead. And with this, the number of those dead will go up to 1180.

Speaking on this additional Chief Secretary (Home) Balwant Singh said, “We have prepared a list of missing people and sent it to the revenue department, which would declare the missing persons as dead.” The State Revenue Department would then send the details to the district collectorates for further processing, he added.

Meanwhile, Ahmedabad district collector, Harit Shukla, has informed that they are waiting for the final list of missing people from the police and only then the authority would start the process of declaring them as dead. Issuance of death certificate and compensation will be processed thereafter, he added.

Apart from dead and missing, as per available official number, as many 2,548 were injured, 919 women widowed and 606 children orphaned in one of worst communal violence in Indian history.