Sixteen Hindus were charged Wednesday with burning to death 14 Muslims, in a retrial seen as a test of the government's ability to bring to justice those responsible for religious rioting that rocked western India in 2002. The men were among 21 suspects acquitted last year by a lower court in the killings at a family-owned bakery in Gujarat state, where riots left 1,000 people dead, mostly Muslims. The Supreme Court, however, ordered a retrial after human rights groups claimed many witnesses retracted their statements because of threats from Hindu nationalists. It also ordered that the retrial be held outside Gujarat. The Bombay High Court opened the second trial on Wednesday and read out 18 charges against the 16 men. They included murder, unlawful assembly, damage to property, attempt to cause grievous hurt, and rioting with deadly weapons. Five of the suspects have fled, and presiding Judge Abhay Thipsay said they would be charged after they have been found. The 21 are accused of torching the family-run Best Bakery in Vadodara, 97 kilometers (60 miles) south of Ahmadabad, Gujarat's largest city, on March 1, 2002. Fourteen Muslims died in the blaze, including two children. The suspects pleaded not guilty on Wednesday. If convicted, they could face the death penalty. The trial was adjourned until Oct. 4.
