Thaindian News

New Delhi/Ahmedabad, April 22 (IANS) Nine years after the 2002 Gujarat riots, a senior police officer who was part of the state intelligence set up then has blamed Narendra Modi for the communal carnage, saying the chief minister wanted Muslims to be taught “a lesson” for the Godhra train burning that left 59 Kar Sevaks dead and that Hindus should “be allowed to vent their anger”.

Sanjiv Bhatt, who was a deputy commissioner of police in the state intelligence bureau in 2002, has also cast doubts over the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the train burning and subsequent riots in which over 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which rules Gujarat, Friday questioned the reliability of the affidavit filed by Bhatt while the Congress said the BJP should have compelled Modi to resign. The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) said that action should be taken against the chief minister.

In his affidavit, filed before the apex court hearing the post-Godhra Gujarat riot cases, Bhatt said after the Feb 27, 2002 Godhra train burning Chief Minister Modi at a meeting, in which he (Bhatt) was present, said that “this time the situation warranted that the Muslims be taught a lesson to ensure that such incidents do not occur ever again”.

Bhatt said the top officials of the state administration and police were told this in the course of the late night meeting held at the chief minister’s residence on Feb 27, 2002.

Bhatt in his affidavit said he had told the SIT that Chief Minister Modi took the position even though he was cautioned that bringing the bodies of the Kar Sevaks to Ahmedabad coupled with a bandh call given by BJP could spark communal riots and Gujarat police were not adequately equipped to deal with such a situation.

Bhatt said that Modi responded by saying “the bandh call had already been given and the party (BJP) had decided to support the same, as incidents like burning of Kar Sevaks at Godhra could not be tolerated”.

The SIT was told that Modi “further impressed upon the gathering that for far too long the Gujarat police had been following the principle of balancing the actions against Hindus and Muslims while dealing with communal riots in Gujarat”.

Modi was quoted as having said that “emotions were running very high amongst the Hindus and it was imperative that they be allowed to vent out their anger”.

Bhatt filed his affidavit in the context of the petition filed in the Supreme Court by Zakia Ahsan Jafri, widow of a former Congress MP who was burnt to death with many others at the Gulberg Housing Society by a mob.

He said that despite his telling the SIT that the post-Godhra riots were orchestrated at the instance of Modi, it did noting to investigate the angle and chose to turn a blind eye to it.

In the Godhra train coach burning, 59 Kar Sevaks returning from Ayodhya were killed after fire engulfed the S-6 coach of the Sabarmati Express at Godhra railway station on the morning of Feb 27, 2002. The incident sparked widespread anti-Muslim riots in Gujarat.

Bhatt told the apex court about certain “disquieting aspects and inadequacies in the manner and approach of the SIT” that he personally experienced in the course of his interaction with it.

He said in his affidavit that the investigating team “appears to be disinclined to follow up these important leads (given by him) in the course of their investigation”.

Bhatt is currently posted as the principal of the State Reserve Police Training Centre based at Junagadh.

Bhatt, who joined the Indian Police Service (IPS) in 1988, said since he had been deposing before the SIT, he has fears for his own safety and that of his family.

Bhatt alleged that the SIT was becoming a party to the “ongoing cover-up operation in Gujarat”.

Senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley questioning the reliability of the affidavit, said: “An affidavit is filed by a police officer, there is no presumption that it is truthful. There are numerous people in Gujarat who are actively working and are involved in the exercise of discovery of falsehood whenever an SIT report is expected or a Supreme Court hearing is expected.”

Congress spokesman Manish Tewari said the BJP should have compelled Modi to resign and subjected him to the rigors of the judicial process.

Tewari said it is “no dark secret that the Gujarat government was squarely involved” in post-Godhra communal violence.

Former Congress parliamentarian Ehsan Jafri’s widow Zakia Jafri Friday hailed Bhatt’s affidavit saying he has shown courage.

“We were aware of what happened at the meeting and what Modi said there, but now that Sanjiv Bhatt has openly talked about it, it gives me great courage and I appreciate the courage shown by him,” Zakia Jafri said.

Activist Teesta Setalvad said the truth has finally come out. “Despite the very best efforts of a very vindictive government using money and muscle power, the truth has finally come out,” said Setalvad, who has been campaigning against Modi.

Bhatt, answering a question by CNN-IBN Friday on pressure on him to withdraw his testimony, said: “I have never backed out from saying the truth anywhere, anytime in my life.”

He said that any kind of pressure would only make him more determined. “Instead of worrying me, this kind of subversion makes me more resolute because all I am doing is stating the truth. I am stating what I know.”