Modi’s words back in controversies

AHMEDABAD: After eight years an affidavit brings back into focus the controversial meeting held on the February 27, 2002 chaired by the Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

During that meeting, what was said or not said by the chief minister has often been surrounded in controversy. So who was there in the meeting and what do they claim about what was said by the Chief Minister and most importantly was Sanjiv Bhatt present?

Did Narendra Modi tell his officers or did he not, to let Hindus vent their anger against Muslims post the Godhra incident? That’s the question that has haunted Modi for the last eight years.

Special Investigation Team was appointed by the Supreme Court. SIT on Gujarat riots has mentioned of a meeting at chief minister’s residence on the evening of the 27th of February, 2002, a day before riots broke out across the Gujarat state.

The affidavit confirms particiapation of eight people including chief minister, Narendra Modi, the then DGP K Chakravarti and Ahmedabad Polcie Commissioner P C Pande.

The two officers present in this meeting have pleaded loss of memory when asked if Modi did asked police to go soft on rioters.

Four officers have out rightly denied that Modi ever gave such instructions. Three of these officers have been accommodated by the state government post their retirements.

But the real question mark has always been whether Sanjay Bhatt, then a junior officer in the intelligence bureau was present at the meeting or not. Bhatt insists he was, but his senior GC Raigar does not vouching for Bhatt’s testimony.

RK Raghavan the SIT chief had disregarded Bhatt’s statement, claiming he was too junior to have been invited for such a high profile meeting. But the man who succeeded Raigar as Gujarat’s intelligence chief, RB Sreekumar, claims that Bhatt is speaking the truth.

Haren Pandya had also testified before a citizen’s tribunal, that the chief minister did hold a meeting in which the police was asked to go slow on the rioters. A year later, Pandya was assassinated. Bhatt’s statement has now given a new twist to the 2002 issue.