Zakia Naseem Jafri (1938 or 1939 – 1 February 2025) was an Indian human rights activist known for her legal efforts related to the

2002 Gujarat riots The 2002 Gujarat riots, also known as the 2002 Gujarat violence or the Gujarat pogrom, was a three-day period of inter-communal violence in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The Godhra train burning, burning of a train in Godhra on 27 Fe ...

. She became widely recognized as the widow of

Ehsan Jafri Ehsan Jafri (1929 – 28 February 2002) was an Indian politician and former member of the 6th Lok Sabha for the Congress Party, who was killed in the Gulbarg Society massacre. A Special Investigating Team appointed by the Supreme Court ...

, a

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

Member of Parliament who was killed during the riots.

Background

Zakia Jafri was the widow of Ehsan Jafri, a lawyer from

Burhanpur Burhanpur is a historical city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the administrative seat of Burhanpur District. It is situated on the north bank of the Tapti River and northeast of city of Mumbai , southwest of the state's capita ...

who was elected as a member of parliament in 1977. Born into a wealthy landlord family in

Khandwa Khandwa is a city and a nagar nigam in the Nimar region of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Khandwa district, formerly known as East Nimar District. Khandwa is a major railway junction; the Malwa line co ...

, Madhya Pradesh, in the late 1930s, she married Jafri when he was serving as an attorney in Madhya Pradesh. They had three children: two sons, Tanveer and Zuber, and a daughter, Nishrin. In 1969, during communal riots in Khandwa, their home was attacked, forcing them to stay in a refugee camp for some time before relocating to

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...

in 1971. Jafri died in

on 1 February 2025, at the age of 86. She was interred in the same cemetery as her husband.

The 2002 Gujarat riots

Widespread riots occurred in Gujarat in 2002. The state government later stated 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus were killed during the riots; independent sources put the death toll at over 2,000, the vast majority of them Muslims. The Gulbarg Society massacre occurred during the riots, on 28 February. A crowd began pelting stones at the Gulbarg Society, a

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

neighbourhood in the eastern part of Chamanpura in

. Ehsan Jafri was among 35 victims burned alive, while 31 others went missing and were presumed dead. According to Zakia Jafri, she and a few others managed to survive by hiding in an upstairs room.

Legal proceedings

Zakia Jafri filed a petition in the

Supreme Court of India The Supreme Court of India is the supreme judiciary of India, judicial authority and the supreme court, highest court of the Republic of India. It is the final Appellate court, court of appeal for all civil and criminal cases in India. It also ...

in 2006, alleging that law enforcement authorities had failed to take action against key political figures, including then–Chief Minister

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...

. In 2008, the Supreme Court directed a

Special Investigation Team are Police tactical unit, tactical detective units of Japanese prefectural police forces. Special Investigation Teams are maintained by prefectural police headquarters (PPH) and are trained to handle critical incidents including criminal investi ...

(SIT) to examine her claims. The SIT concluded the investigation in 2012, finding that there was not sufficient evidence to prosecute Modi or other officials. Jafri filed a plea challenging the SIT's findings, which was dismissed by the Supreme Court in June 2022, upholding the closure report. As a result of her numerous legal filings, Jafri was seen as the "face of the fight for justice" for the victims of the 2002 riots, according to the ''

Mint Mint or The Mint may refer to: Plants * Lamiaceae, the mint family ** ''Mentha'', the genus of plants commonly known as "mint" Coins and collectibles * Mint (facility), a facility for manufacturing coins * Mint condition, a state of like-new ...

''. In a report from ''

The Caravan ''The Caravan'' is an Indian English-language, long-form narrative journalism magazine covering politics and culture. It was initially launched in 1940 by Vishwa Nath, becoming a prominent monthly magazine before ceasing publication in 1988. T ...

'', Jafri stated that her husband, Ehsan Jafri, made multiple calls to senior Gujarat state officials, including then-Chief Minister Narendra Modi, seeking help as a mob surrounded Gulberg Society during the 2002 Gujarat riots. According to her, Jafri pleaded for intervention but received no assistance. A witness later testified in court that Jafri had also called Modi and was allegedly met with verbal abuse rather than support.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jafri, Zakia 1930s births Year of birth uncertain 2025 deaths People from Khandwa Indian human rights activists Indian Muslims 2002 Gujarat riots Indian civil rights activists People from Ahmedabad