New Delhi: Expressing concern over the acquittal of the 21 accused in the Best Bakery case, Amnesty International (AI) on July 9 said the acquittal has "confirmed its worst fears about the lack of government commitment to ensure justice to victims of the communal violence in Gujarat" and demanded re-trial of the case.

"Statements made by key witnesses in the past few days clearly accused BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) politicians and other interested parties of threatening and harassing them into withdrawing their testimony. With numerous cases due to come to trial, this situation is unacceptable," it said in a statement.

Demanding that the Central government take immediate action to ensure the safety and protection of witnesses in this case and other pending cases, the AI said, "The government should further order an independent and impartial investigation into the allegations of witnesses that they received threats to withdraw their testimony and prompt action should be taken against those found guilty.

"Once these steps are taken, it would be possible to carry out a re-trial of the Best Bakery case and commence other trials," the organisation said adding, "Until then however, the ability of the criminal justice system in Gujarat to provide justice must be in doubt."

The statement further said, "At the time of violence in Gujarat, India dismissed international expressions of concern as interference, arguing that India's criminal justice system and other institutions, including the NHRC (National human Rights Commission), would be able to adequately address the situation in Gujarat. Those statements today appear hollow."

PTI