Gujarat mass grave charges filed

More than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, died in the 2002 riots

Police in the western Indian state of Gujarat have charged 11 people with illegally digging up a mass grave.

State authorities had accused local Muslims of exhuming bodies without permission and tampering with evidence.

Muslims say the bodies in the grave in Panchmahal district are those of relatives killed by Hindus during religious riots in February 2002.

They accuse police of burying the bodies without informing victims' families. Police deny the charges.

Inquiry

Last week, Gujarat's High Court ordered DNA tests be carried out on the remains under the supervision of the Central Bureau of Investigation, India's top detective agency.

More than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed in the 2002 riots, although many believe the figure to be higher.

Gujarat's state authorities were criticised for not doing enough to prevent the violence.

A judicial inquiry into the riots is still to conclude its investigation.