|
Excerpts
from Gujarat cop's affidavit implicating Narendra Modi
Friday April 22, 2011 08:15:22 PM,
IANS
|
|
New Delhi: Excerpts
from the affidavit filed by senior Gujarat police officer Sanjiv
Bhatt in the Supreme Court implicating Chief Minister Narendra
Modi in the 2002 "communal carnage" following the Godhra train
burning that killed 59 Hindus.
What Modi said at a crucial meeting Feb 27, 2002 after the train
burning: "The chief minister Shri. Narendra Modi said that the
bandh call had already been given and the party (BJP) had decided
to support the same, as incidents like the burning of Kar-Sevaks
at Godhra could not be tolerated. He further impressed upon the
gathering that for too long the Gujarat Police had been following
the principle of balancing the actions against Hindus and Muslims
while dealing with the communal riots in Gujarat. This time the
situation warranted that the Muslims be taught a lesson to ensure
that such incidents do not recur ever again. The Chief Minister
Shri. Narendra Modi expressed the view that the emotions were
running very high amongst the Hindus and it was imperative that
they be allowed to vent out their anger."
Bhatt's observations on the Special Investigation Team (SIT): "..I
believe it is my painful duty to bring to the notice of this
Hon'ble Court that the SIT does not appear to be living up to the
enormous trust reposed in it by the Supreme Court of India, to
conduct an impartial and thorough probe into the allegations of a
larger conspiracy and administrative complicity behind the Gujarat
riots of 2002 and hence the present affidavit."
"The leakage of details regarding my earlier deposition and
interaction with SIT have eventually found their way to the media
and have further jeopardized my safety and the safety and security
of my family members.
"SIT has chosen to intimidate certain witnesses and coerce them in
to refraining from stating the true facts and thereby has created
an impression that the SIT is becoming a party to the ongoing
cover-up operation in Gujarat."
"I have stated before the SIT that many serious incidents of
communal violence, including the carnage at Gulberg Society, could
have been easily prevented by firm and determined action on part
of the Police.
"Even today, the situation in Gujarat is such, that witnesses
would be afraid of vindictive reprisals and persecution at the
hand of the State machinery. Evidently, witnesses serving under
the control of State government would be highly reluctant to come
forward and take a stand that could imperil their own safety or
the safety and security of their families. I therefore request
that this Hon'ble Court be pleased to ensure that the SIT follows
up on all the leads provided by me in such manner that even
reluctant witnesses feel safe and confident to state the truth."
In 2002, Bhatt was based in Gandhinagar as deputy commissioner of
intelligence in the State Intelligence Bureau. He is now posted as
principal of the State Reserve Police Centre in Junagadh.
Bhatt said that there was continuous leakage of testimonies and
information from SIT to the Gujarat government, which he had
mentioned to the investigation group.
"It may kindly be noted that my fears regarding the
confidentiality of my deposition before SIT were eventually
confirmed as the contents of my signed deposition as well as the
details of my interaction with Shri A.K. Malhotra and Shri
Paramveer Singh-Members SIT, were somehow available to the highest
echelons of the Government of Gujarat. As a result and consequence
of the said breach of confidentiality, I was visited and continue
to be visited with unpleasant consequences," the affidavit said.
The 1988 batch IPS officer said the SIT was not interested in
following up on his information on the Feb 27, 2002 meeting,
citing technical rules. "I have time and again tried to bring
these facts to the notice of the Special Investigation Team but
they seem to be disinclined to follow-up these important leads in
the course of the enquiry/investigation being carried out by
them," said Bhatt.
He further said that there was "unconcealed hostility" from SIT
members, when he tried to bring up the "issue of a larger
conspiracy or official orchestration behind the Gujarat Riots of
2002, as also the ongoing attempts at cover-up".
"This was even more obvious when I gave names of witnesses who
could corroborate the fact of my having attended the said meeting
with the Chief Minister on 27.2.2002," he said.
|
|
Home |
Top of the Page |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Top
Stories |
|
Modi
wanted Muslims to be taught a lesson, says top cop
A senior
police officer from Gujarat, Sanjiv Bhatt, has accused Chief
Minister Narendra Modi of wanting to teach Muslims "a lesson"
after the Godhra train attack in 2002 killed 59 Hindus.
»
‘Vibrant
Gujarat has left the state’s Muslims in an economic ghetto'
Narendra Modi unapologetic on the Gujarat carnage: US Diplomat |
|
|
|
Most
Read |
|
Sanjiv
Bhatt - the man who took on Narendra Modi
Top Gujarat cop Sanjiv Bhatt, who has openly challenged Chief
Minister Narendra Modi by accusing him of
»
I stand by my statement, says top cop about his affidavit against Modi
|
|
Voices of
dissonance against Anna and Co
Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, historian K.N. Panikkar and activist
Shabnam Hashmi Friday strongly objected to the "authoritarian"
attitude adopted by social reformer Anna Hazare in his fight
against corruption and accused him of being affiliated to
»
A flirting
Modern Day Nero and submissive Modern Day Gandhi |
|
|
|
News Pick |
|
Top Urdu writer Ibn-e-Safi's thrillers now in
English
A desi
combination of James Bond and Sherlock Holmes, Pakistani writer
Ibn-e-Safi's macho crime-fighters were firm favourites of
generations of Urdu-reading people right from when they first
appeared in the 1950s. Their
»
|
|
Incomplete map of India removed from government website
The authorities have removed a
controversial map of India from a government website that didn't
have parts of Jammu and Kashmir which New Delhi claims are under
the illegal occupation
» |
|
Happy to
be out of Hurriyat, says Ansari
Maulvi
Abbas Ansari, the senior Kashmiri Shia leader who was suspended
from the Hurriyat for meeting central government interlocutors,
has now openly rebelled against the separatist grouping. In a
statement here
» |
|
31 'crorepati'
candidates in third phase of Bengal polls
The third
phase of West Bengal assembly elections April 27, spread over the
North and South 24 Parganas and Kolkata districts, will witness 31
'crorepatis'
»
Third
phase of Bengal polls has its share of criminal candidates |
|
RTE Act
violations: Dirty school toilets major complaint
Dirty,
non-functional toilets form a major chunk of the complaints filed
by parents in Delhi under violation of the Right to Education
(RTE) Act. According to a
»
RTE Act one year on: 8 million children still
missing school |
|
|
|
Picture of the Day |
|
 |
|
Prime
Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and his wife Mrs Gursharan Kaur
in a procession for laying wreath ceremony at Monument of
the Defenders of Motherland, at Astana, in Kazakhstan on
April 16, 2011.
(Photo:
Shivraj) |
|
|
|
|
Comments
|
Quick links