Zakia Jafri, a tireless advocate for justice who turned personal tragedy into a decades-long legal battle against state complicity in 2002 Gujarat anti-Muslim pogrom passed away on February 2, 2025, at her daughter’s home in Ahmedabad, India. She was 86.

Her husband, Ehsan Jafri, a lawyer and former Congress MP, was butchered during the Gujarat pogrom. As bloodthirsty mobs descended on Gulberg Society, Ehsan Jafri made over 200 desperate calls to police and government officials, pleading for help. No help came. He was hacked to death, and 70 others were slaughtered while the state watched in silence.

In the aftermath of the pogrom, she filed legal cases against then-Gujarat Chief Minister, now Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and top state officials of conspiracy and abetment. Her struggle became a symbol of resistance against impunity and state complicity. She led this battle for justice until her last breath.

Zakia’s legacy lies in her defiance, her refusal to let power erase truth. May she rest in power.