The post-Godhra 2002 riots returned to haunt Narendra Modi, with a senior IPS officer alleging the Gujarat Chief Minister had instructed officers to allow Hindus “to vent out their anger” during the clashes and wanted Muslims to be “taught a lesson.”
Sanjeev Bhatt made the allegation implicating Modi in the riots in an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court on April 14, in which he has also accused the Apex Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT), of a “cover-up” operation. The SIT is also probing the BJP stalwart’s alleged role in the communal riots.
Reacting to Bhatt’s allegation, Gujarat government spokesman Jainarayan Vyas described the affidavit as a view that has been expressed. But, it can only be said to be “either correct or wrong” once it passes through the entire process of adjudication, he observed.
Bhatt, the 1988-batch IPS officer who was posted as DCP at the State Intelligence Bureau (SIB) during the 2002 riots, said in the affidavit that he had attended the February 27 meeting called by Modi, where he asked officers to be “indifferent” to the rioters. “The chief minister Narendra Modi said that the bandh call (on February 28, 2002 following the death of 58 karsevaks in Godhra train buring incident) has already been given and the party had decided to support the same, as incidents like the burning of karsevaks at Godhra could not be tolerated,” Bhatt had told the SIT about the meeting during his interrogation in November 2009 as per his affidavit.
“This time the situation warranted that the Muslims be taught a lesson to ensure that such incidents do not recur ever again,” Modi had stated according to Bhatt’s affidavit. The chief minister further said the Gujarat police had been following the principle of balancing the actions against the Hindus and Muslims while dealing with the communal riots.
“Chief minister Narendra Modi expressed that emotions were running very high amongst the Hindus and it was imperative that they be allowed to vent out their anger,” Bhatt said in his affidavit. He is presently posted as principal of the State Reserve Police training centre in Junagadh district. However, in his testimony before the SIT, Modi, said Bhatt, being a junior officer at that time, was not present in the February 27 meeting.