Babu Bajrangi, one of the accused in the Naroda Patiya case, leaves the Special Court in Ahmedabad on June 30, 2012. (Agence France-Presse)
Convicted for one of the worst massacres in the Gujarat riots, Babu Bajrangi, former leader of the right-wing Bajrang Dal, has returned to prison after a break that ran longer than three months.
In 2012, former Gujarat minister Maya Kodnani and he were among nearly 30 others found guilty of the Naroda Patiya massacre, the single bloodiest episode of the three-day riots that seared the state in 2002. Babu Bajrangi, whose real name is Babubhai Patel, was sentenced to life in prison.
He left the Sabarmati Jail in Ahmedabad in April to travel to Chennai to see an eye specialist. The three-month bail he was originally given on medical grounds for his problematic eyesight was followed by an extension from the Gujarat High Court after his doctors said he is fast losing vision. His lawyer, Anil Patel, refused to comment on the controversy and criticism of his client's lengthy bail, stating only that all directions to return to jail have been followed.
Earlier, Babu Bajrangi was allowed to leave jail on four different occasions on grounds ranging from his niece's marriage to attending to his unwell father.
In the last few weeks, Bajrangi Babu had avoided the media, choosing to stay at home in Naroda Pitaya, where doctors visited him periodically to check on his eyes, according to sources.
"For them, being inside or outside may not be a big deal, but for the riot victims it is...once out the convicts can be threat to the victims," said Shamshad Pathan, who represents families devastated by the riots in Naroda Patiya.