Ahmedabad : Indian Supreme Court might finally have got its first piece of direct evidence against Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and his role in the 2002 riots in which a numberof Muslims were killed.
An IPS officer from Gujarat, Sanjiv Bhatt, who claimed to have attended Modi's meeting on evening of February 27, 2002, after Godhra carnage, has filed an affidavit before apex court alleging that Modi told government officials that it was time to let Hindus vent their anger.
Fifty-nine passengers, mostly kar sevaks, were killed on S-6 coach of Sabarmati Express that day, sparking riots throughout the state. Bhatt, who was superintendent of police (intelligence) then, saysin his affidavit that Modi insisted bodies of those killed on Sabarmati Express be brought to Ahmedabad, against advice of government officials. He says Modi's instructions reflected in half-hearted approach of police to the violence that followed February 28, 2002, onwards throughout the state.
Bhatt alleges that SC-appointed special investigation team (SIT) was reluctant to record all this evidence and tried telling him to limit his testimony to Meghaninagar case which was about killings atGulbarg society. According to officer, SIT recorded this evidence only after he insisted that this procedural constraint would defeat purpose of probing the larger conspiracy.
He says he filed affidavit because he found SIT leaking all information he gave in confidence to the state government. He adds he wrote to SIT chairman R K Raghavan about this. Affidavit says at end of meeting on February 27, 2002, officers tried to tell Modi that decision to bring bodies to Ahmedabad, and BJP's supporting VHP's bandh call, would definitely lead to an outbreak of communal violence in Ahmedabad and across the state.
However, affidavit citing Bhatt's testimony before SIT says Modi told the gathering, "...that for too long Gujarat police had been following principle of balancing actions against Hindus and Muslims whiledealing with communal riots in Gujarat. This time the situation warranted that Muslims be taught lesson to ensure that such incidents do not recur ever again".
He said "Chief Minister Narendra Modi expressed view that emotions were running very high among Hindusand it was imperative that they be allowed to vent out their anger." Bhatt recorded this evidence before SIT's DIG A K Malhotra over four days beginning March 21. PPI
