Gujarat’s top police officer at the time of post-Godhra riots on Saturday contradicted IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, who has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court implicating Narendra Modi in the communal clashes, claiming he was not present in the meeting with the chief minister held on February 27, 2002.
Mr Bhatt had created a flutter in his affidavit alleging that at the meeting Mr Modi had instructed officers to allow Hindus to “vent out their anger” during the clashes and wanted Muslims to be “taught a lesson”.
“He (Sanjiv Bhatt) was not present in that particular meeting held with the chief minister and other high-ranking officials. I have told this to the Special Investigation Team (probing the riots) during my deposition,” Mr K. Chakrabarthi, then director-general of police, said.
In Delhi, the Congress stepped up attack against Mr Modi, saying victims will not get justice as long as he is the chief minister of Gujarat. “As long as Narendra Modi is chief minister, the victims cannot get justice there,” party general secretary Digvijay Singh told reporters. The CPI(M) demanded immediate investigation of Mr Modi’s role in the 2002 post-Godhra riots and his prosecution following accusations by a senior state police officer.
Noting that the affidavit filed by Mr Bhatt had alleged that Mr Modi had “instructed senior police officials in a meeting not to act to protect Muslims from violence”, the party said the statement “confirms the culpability of the chief minister in the pogroms”.
“There should be no further delay in the investigations into the role of Narendra Modi and initiating steps to prosecute him,” the CPI(M) politburo said in a statement. —PTI