Gujarat riot victims may file plea to make cop a witness

Ahmedabad: A Gujarat court Tuesday allowed victims of the 2002 communal riots to file a plea for calling as witness Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Sanjiv Bhatt who blamed Chief Minister Narendra Modi for the carnage.

Judge B.J. Dhandha told the lawyer of the victims of a massacre at the Gulberg Society in Ahmedabad that they may file a plea anytime during the final hearing.

Victims' lawyer S.M. Vora earlier sought adjournment of the final hearing to file the plea.

Prosecution lawyer R.C. Kodekar started the final argument in the case to establish role of the various accused in the massacre that claimed lives of over 80 people in Gulberg Society Feb 28, 2002 during the statewide communal riots that followed the Godhra train burning that left 59 Kar Sevaks dead.

Vora said: "We demanded adjournment of the final hearing as we wanted to make Bhatt as a witness. This is because he has filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court mentioning acts of Modi and has made allegations against him."

"However, the judge said, the process will be continued and we can file the plea on next hearing," he said.

Bhatt, who was part of the state intelligence set up in 2002, blamed Modi for the communal carnage, saying the chief minister wanted Muslims to be taught "a lesson" for the Feb 27, 2002 Godhra train carnage and that Hindus should "be allowed to vent their anger".

"I have deposed before the Special Investigation Team (SIT), the Nanavaty-Mehta judicial enquiry commission probing the 2002 communal riots and the process I have gone through has made me go for the affidavit before the Supreme Court. Rest, I leave it to the apex court. If I am called, I will depose before it," he said.




 

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(Photo: IANS)