Cell phone records to convict the mob that burned 1000 people alive

"Thousands of cases against rioters were dismissed by the police for lack of evidence despite eyewitness accounts.

But in 2004, the Supreme Court intervened, acting on petitions from human rights groups. The court ordered that more than 2,000 dismissed cases be reopened, a special police team be created and some trials be transferred out of Gujarat. The wheels of justice began to turn, leading more victims to press claims.

That year, a lawyer representing victims was cross-examining a top police official when the official laid a CD on the table in front of him.

“What’s that?” asked the lawyer, Dr. Mukul Sinha.

“Evidence,” answered the officer, Rahul Sharma.

The CD contained records of every cellphone call made in Ahmedabad during the worst of the rioting. The records allowed advocates to construct precise timelines of the movements of many rioters, timelines that often dovetailed with the accounts of riot victims but contradicted those of the accused.

Dr. Sinha is still mining the records for evidence, but Mr. Modi’s government is vigorously trying to suppress the investigation, charging the officer who provided the records with violating the Official Secrets Act."