Ahmedabad, Feb 1: Zakia Jafri, the widow of former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, who was killed in the 2002 Gujarat riots, passed away at the age of 86 in Ahmedabad.
“My mother was visiting my sister’s house in Ahmedabad. She completed her daily morning routine and was chatting normally with her family members when she complained of feeling uneasy. The doctor who was called in declared her dead at around 11:30 am,” her son Tanveer Jafri told PTI.
Social activist Teesta Setalvad, who was a co-complainant in Jafri’s protest petition in the Supreme Court, mourned her passing on X, stating, “Zakia Appa, a compassionate leader of the human rights community passed away just 30 minutes ago! Her visionary presence will be missed by d nation family friends & world! Tanveer Bhai, Nishrin, Duraiyaappa, grandkids we are with you! Rest in Power and Peace Zakia appa! #ZakiaJafri.”
Zakia Jafri’s husband, Ehsan Jafri, was among 69 people killed inside Gulbarg Society, a Muslim neighborhood in Ahmedabad, on February 28, 2002. The attack occurred a day after the burning of coaches of the Sabarmati Express in Godhra, which led to the deaths of 59 ‘karsevaks’ returning from Ayodhya and sparked widespread communal violence across Gujarat.
Zakia Jafri became a prominent figure in the fight for justice, waging a long legal battle to hold top political leaders accountable for what she alleged was a larger conspiracy behind the riots. She petitioned for an investigation into the case, challenging the clean chit given to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and 63 others in connection with the violence.