Thiruvananthapuram, February 28 Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan paid tribute to former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, who was killed in the Gulberg Society massacre during the 2002 Gujarat riots.
In a Facebook post, Vijayan stated that 69 people, including Jafri, were burnt to death in the alleged attack by the Sangh Parivar on Gulberg Society in Ahmedabad on February 28, 2002.
"A former MP and a staunch advocate for a secular India, his brutal martyrdom serves as a chilling reminder of the 2002 Gujarat genocide and the horrific consequences of communal hatred," the CM also wrote on the social media platform X.
In his social media posts, Vijayan also recalled the "relentless struggle" of Jafri's late wife, Zakia Jafri, against those responsible for the massacre, saying that her "lifelong fight for justice against the perpetrators of the genocide inspired every secular mind in this country."
He said that Zakia's legal battle against the "masterminds" of the genocide was "long and unprecedented."
She died at the age of 86 "without achieving justice," he added in his Facebook post.
"Their (Jafri and his wife) lives remain a powerful call to resist the politics of communal division and protect our democratic values," the CM said on X.
In the Facebook post, Vijayan stated that the Gulberg Society massacre was "a vivid depiction of the persecution of minorities in Gujarat during the genocide," which marks 24 years on Saturday.