Congress invokes Haren Pandya's 'murder' as his cousin Sunita Williams returns to earth

As NASA astronaut Sunita Williams returned to Earth after her prolonged mission in space, the Congress party sought to reignite the Haren Pandya murder case to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The party has questioned Modi’s sincerity in celebrating Williams' achievements, contrasting it with his alleged past indifference towards her due to her family ties to Pandya, a former BJP minister who was assassinated under suspicious circumstances in 2003.

The Congress Kerala unit sparked a debate on social media when it posted: "Modi pens a letter to Sunita Williams, and in all likelihood, she will put it in the trash. Why? She is Haren Pandya's cousin… He challenged Modi and was murdered during a 'morning walk'."

Haren Pandya: The BJP leader who defied Modi

Haren Pandya was a BJP stalwart and Gujarat’s Home Minister, known for his strong RSS background and political influence. He had served as a cabinet minister under Keshubhai Patel and continued in office when Narendra Modi took over as Chief Minister in 2001.

However, tensions between Pandya and Modi began escalating in 2001, when Pandya refused to vacate his Ellisbridge Assembly seat for Modi’s electoral entry into the Gujarat Legislative Assembly. This public defiance made him one of Modi’s biggest internal rivals within the Gujarat BJP.

The biggest rift occurred in 2002, when Pandya allegedly provided confidential testimony to an independent panel led by Justice V R Krishna Iyer regarding Modi’s role in the 2002 Gujarat riots. According to a section of the media, Pandya alleged that Modi had instructed officials to allow Hindu mobs to retaliate freely following the Godhra train burning.

Following this deposition, Pandya was reportedly within the BJP. He was removed from Gujarat Home Minister's post and denied a ticket to contest elections in 2002. His political career effectively ended, and was expected to be transferred to Delhi for a BJP national role -- an offer he allegedly resisted. He was assassinated months later on 26 March 2003, shot dead in Ahmedabad during his routine morning walk.

The controversial murder investigation

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) initially linked Pandya’s murder to Islamic militants, claiming that Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives assassinated him as an act of revenge for the 2002 riots. However, the investigation was widely criticised. In 2007, a Gujarat trial court convicted 12 people, but the Gujarat High Court overturned the convictions in 2011, calling the probe “botched, misdirected, and perverse.”

The court slammed the police and CBI for fabricating evidence, stating that the real perpetrators remained unknown. In 2019, the Supreme Court reinstated the convictions, rejecting calls for a fresh probe. Pandya’s father, Vitthal Pandya, repeatedly accused Modi of orchestrating his son’s murder, stating in interviews that "the real masterminds were protected."

Sunita Williams, Haren Pandya, and Modi’s selective recognition

The Congress attack on PM Modi comes from an alleged pattern of political indifference towards Sunita Williams in 2007, despite her Gujarati heritage and international fame.

Reports from The Telegraph (21 June 2007) noted that Williams had a deep personal bond with Haren Pandya and had campaigned for him in 1998, even joining his victory procession. Despite Gujarat’s tradition of celebrating achievers, Modi’s government ignored her accomplishments in 2007. The Opposition in the Gujarat Assembly proposed a resolution to honour Williams but Modi’s BJP remained silent. The Vishwa Gujarati Samaj criticised Modi’s government for not recognising Williams, calling Modi "vindictive".

In contrast, in 2025, Modi has suddenly praised Williams in a personal letter, calling her one of India’s illustrious daughters. The Congress has now latched on this change in stance, alleging that PM Modi is only recognising her now for political optics.

While BJP dismisses these claims as political opportunism, the Haren Pandya case continues to cast a shadow over Modi’s leadership in Gujarat, and now, over his relationship with Sunita Williams.