Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) activist Medha Patkar was cross-examined in the court of Metropolitan Magistrate in Ahmedabad on Monday in the 2002 Sabarmati Ashram assault case. The NBA activist had filed an FIR against National Council for Civil liberties President (NCCl), V K Saxena, former Ahmadabad Mayor, Amit Shah, BJP Yuva Morcha President, Amit Thakkar and Congress leader Rohit Patel. During the cross-examination, she admitted that shedid not make an allegation in her FIR that the assault on her during a peace meeting at Sabarmati’s Gandhi Ashram on 7th April, 2002 was a well planned conspiracy.
NCCl President V K Saxena and former BJP Yuva Morcha President and Amit Thakkar were present in the Court. Cross examination lasted for around 2 hours and Court has fixed 17th March 2015 for further cross-examination. In the previous hearing when Patkar was questioned, she claimed of “loss of memory on several issues. On Monday Patkar was questioned by the advocate and she tried to avoid answer various questions.
She gave a statement that she didn’t remember by which train she reached Ahmedabad. She also failed to inform the exact time of her arrival at Sabarmati Ashram. However, she admitted that she visited Gandhi Ashram on the invitation of Gujarati film actress turned politician Mallika Sarabhai. Patkar in her earlier cross-examination also admitted that she sustained no injuries and no medical examination was done on her. She further admitted that she did not take any medical treatment.
Contrary to that, Patkar in her deposition before the court repeatedly said that the attack on her was the result of a conspiracy.