Haren Pandya
Encyclopedia
Haren Pandya was the Home Minister of the Gujarat State in India
. He was murder
ed in 2003 in Ahmedabad
, Gujarat, when he was sitting in his car after a morning walk in the Law Garden area in ahmedabad.
(BJP) Legislator. He was a member of the RSS from his early age and was also a Municipal Councilor from the Paldi Area of Ahmedabad City. Pandya was a strong supporter of Keshubhai Patel
and a fierce opponent of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi
, and possibly that was the reason he was denied BJP ticket in the Gujarat Assembly Elections of 2002. It is said that he had also in a cabinet meeting advocated that the bodies of the victims of Godhra carnage not be brought to Ahmedabad because that would arouse passion. But he was shouted down at the meeting by some ministers
US Astronaut Sunita Williams
, who is the only woman to have spent six months in space, is Haren Pandya's cousin.
followed his murder and top BJP Leaders such as Chief Minister Narendra Modi
and the then Deputy Prime Minister of India
Lal Krishna Advani
were under intense criticism from within the Sangh Pariwar and General Public for sidelining Haren Pandya and not providing him proper security despite threats to his life and his request for security cover.
On August 29, 2011 all the 12 people accused of murdering Pandya were acquitted of the murder charges by the Gujarat high court, but other charges including criminal conspiracy and attempt to murder were retained.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He was murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ed in 2003 in Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
, Gujarat, when he was sitting in his car after a morning walk in the Law Garden area in ahmedabad.
Political career
He represented the Ellis Bridge constituency of Ahmedabad City as a Bharatiya Janata PartyBharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament...
(BJP) Legislator. He was a member of the RSS from his early age and was also a Municipal Councilor from the Paldi Area of Ahmedabad City. Pandya was a strong supporter of Keshubhai Patel
Keshubhai Patel
Keshubhai Patel was Chief Minister of the Western State of Gujarat in India from March 1995 to October 1995 and from March 1998 to October 2001...
and a fierce opponent of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi
Narendra Modi
Narendra Damodardas Modi is the current Chief Minister of the Indian state of Gujarat.He was born in a middle class family in Vadnagar; and is a member of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh since childhood, as also an active politician since early in life. He holds a masters degree in political...
, and possibly that was the reason he was denied BJP ticket in the Gujarat Assembly Elections of 2002. It is said that he had also in a cabinet meeting advocated that the bodies of the victims of Godhra carnage not be brought to Ahmedabad because that would arouse passion. But he was shouted down at the meeting by some ministers
US Astronaut Sunita Williams
Sunita Williams
Sunita Williams is a United States Naval officer and a NASA astronaut. She was assigned to the International Space Station as a member of Expedition 14 and then joined Expedition 15...
, who is the only woman to have spent six months in space, is Haren Pandya's cousin.
Aftermath of Pandya's Murder
A lot of controversyControversy
Controversy is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of opinion. The word was coined from the Latin controversia, as a composite of controversus – "turned in an opposite direction," from contra – "against" – and vertere – to turn, or versus , hence, "to turn...
followed his murder and top BJP Leaders such as Chief Minister Narendra Modi
Narendra Modi
Narendra Damodardas Modi is the current Chief Minister of the Indian state of Gujarat.He was born in a middle class family in Vadnagar; and is a member of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh since childhood, as also an active politician since early in life. He holds a masters degree in political...
and the then Deputy Prime Minister of India
Deputy Prime Minister of India
The Deputy Prime Minister of India is a member of the Indian cabinet in the Indian government. The post is not a constitutional post and seldom carries any specific powers. Generally a Deputy Prime Minister also holds other key portfolios like Home minister or Finance Minister...
Lal Krishna Advani
Lal Krishna Advani
Lal Kishanchand Advani known as Lal Krishna Advani is a Veteran Indian politician. A former president of the Bharatiya Janata Party , which is currently the major opposition party in the Indian Parliament. He also served as a Deputy Prime Minister of India from 2002 to 2004...
were under intense criticism from within the Sangh Pariwar and General Public for sidelining Haren Pandya and not providing him proper security despite threats to his life and his request for security cover.
On August 29, 2011 all the 12 people accused of murdering Pandya were acquitted of the murder charges by the Gujarat high court, but other charges including criminal conspiracy and attempt to murder were retained.