Mass graves were unearthed in Pandharwada and Kidiad in December 2005. The remains were illegally dumped in forest wasteland near the Paanam river outside Lunawada town. The Gujarat high court ordered the human remains to be sent for DNA testing and analysis, to be carried out at the forensic laboratory at Red Hill, Hyderabad, under CBI supervision.
Overnight an FIR was registered against the victim survivors for illegal digging and they had to give their blood samples under threat of arrest. Seven months later the test results showed that samples from nine body remains matched the DNA samples taken from relatives of the massacre victims. Yet, three-and-a-half years later, the remains of those who were killed have still not been handed over to the victim survivors.
In late 2007 CJP approached the Supreme Court for a directive that would enable quick access to the remains, which are still lying in Hyderabad, in order to ensure speedy burial. The apex court only directed CJP to approach the trial court in Godhra. In a shocking denial of basic human rights, to date the remains of their lost ones have not been returned to the survivors for a dignified burial.