27 arrested in post-Godhra cases; FIR lodged after SC order

The Gujarat police have arrested 27 people in connection with three post-Godhra riot cases in Panchmahals district and registered an FIR in connection with one after carrying out re-investigation following a Supreme Court order.

"The arrests were made over the last one month while the special investigating officer in charge of some riot cases, Neerja Rao Gotru, has registered a FIR in one case," Director General of Police A K Bhargav told PTI in Ahmedabad on Friday.

Gotru was appointed by the state government as its special probe officer to re-investigate the cases after the Supreme Court's intervention in December 2003. She registered the FIR three months ago in the Delol massacre in which 17 people were killed and three others were reported missing.

Five persons were arrested on June 27 for their alleged involvement in the massacre of six persons of a minority community in Derol village of Kalol Taluka while 15, who were allegedly involved in the massacre in Delol village, about 30km from Godhra, were arrested on June 24. Both incidents occurred on March 1, 2002 in Panchmahals district during the post-Godhra communal riots.