Click to play videoNew Delhi: A senior Gujarat police officer has implicated Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the post-Godhra riots. Indian Police Service officer of the 1988 batch, Sanjiv Bhatt, in the affidavit filed before the Supreme Court has alleged that Narendra Modi categorically issued instructions that Hindus should be allowed to express their anger and Muslims should be taught a befitting lesson so that incidents like the burning of Sabarmati Express never happen again in Gujarat.
In his affidavit Bhatt, who is currently the Principal of State Reserve Police Training centre, Junagadh, also said that he had no faith in the Supreme Court- Special Investigation Team which has been probing the 2002 Gujarat riots. Bhatt claimed that the SIT was trying to hide the truth behind the riots.
He also said that a senior Gujarat government officer met him and tried to brief him on his deposition to the SIT.
Bhatt said that he was instructed to attend the controversial meeting of February 27, 2002 where Modi reportedly made the statement as his senior GC Raigar was not in town. Bhatt's statement was recorded by the SIT on March 23, 2011.
"I have said what I had to in Supreme Court. It would be inappropriate for me to say anything more as I am a serving officer. I filed an affidavit on 14th of this month (April 14) in the Supreme Court," Bhatt, who was the Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence, State Intelligence Bureau, Gandhinagar, from December 1999 to September 2002, told CNN-IBN.
Retired ADG GS Raigar, who was Bhatt's superior, refuted Bhatt's statement that he was aware of what happened during the meeting.
"I was on leave the day meeting happened and no communication happened between me and Sanjeev Bhatt," he said.
The riots in 2002 took place following the burning of the S-6 coach of Sabarmati Express on February 27, 2002, in which 59 kar sevaks returning from Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh were killed. The train burning incident sparked off the Gujarat riots in which over 1,000 people were killed.
However, the Gujarat government and retired Gujarat director general of police RB Sreekumar denied that Bhatt was present in the meeting.
The state government declined to comment on Bhatt's claims.
"We won't react on Bhatt's affidavit. He has filed an affidavit in the court. What we have been saying, we will convey to the SIT, which will further inform the court," said Gujarat government spokesperson Jay Narayan Vyas.
However, Congress state President Arjun Modhvadia said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) should take action against Modi.
"This is not the first time. But a affidavit in the Supreme Court should make BJP think about Modi. The nation expects some action from (LK) Advani. There were so many questions raised on SIT. The political decisions have to be taken by the BJP," said Modhvadia.
But many questions still remain unanswered:
Why did it take Sanjiv Bhatt nine years to come out with his version?
Why has the Modi government kept denying the presence of Bhatt at the February 27, 2002 meeting?
Why are the other officers present at the February 27 meeting claiming they don't remember what Modi said?
Is the violence which followed the February 27 meeting corroborative evidence implicating the Modi government?
Why did the Nanavati Commission inquiring into Gujarat 2002 riots never question Bhatt?
Why did it take so long for the SIT to record Bhatt's statement?
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