Civil Society to stage protest for security cover to Gujarat cop

By Special Correspondent, TwoCircles.net,

Ahmedabad: Over two dozens NGOs and human rights organizations from across the state will be staging a demonstration here on June 4 to seek adequate security cover for IPS official Sanjiv Bhatt. The threat perception to Bhatt and his family has increased after he recently submitted an affidavit in the Supreme Court against Chief Minister Narendra Modi as well as senior BJP politicians and senior bureaucrats of the state.


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The affidavit was filed pertaining to the investigations being conducted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on a complaint by Zakia Jafri, widow of former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, against Modi, senior BJP politicians and bureaucrats.



In his affidavit in the apex court in April this year, Bhatt had stated that Modi had asked the police officials to allow Hindu rioters to vent out their anger against Muslims after burning down of S-6 coach of the Sabarmati Express train at Godhra on February 27, 2002.

Bhatt has claimed that he was working at that time in the state intelligence department and had attended the meeting at the Modi’s residence in the night of February 27, 2002.

The IPS official demanded security for himself and his family as he felt that Sangh Parivar outfits would be angry over his depositions in the affidavits. An assessment conducted by the Ahmedabad city police recommended `Y’ grade security to Bhatt and his family owing to the serious nature of the threat but the state government provided only an armed constable to Bhatt.

Retired Director General of Police R B Sreekumar, in a letter, to Special Investigation Team (SIT), Supreme Court of India, National Human rights Commission and the state Director General of Police (DGP), has said that “a security cover for Bhatt is needed immediately as the threat emanates from the activists of the Sangh Parivar and over-zealous fans of Narendra Modi who are nurturing ill-will and hatred against Bhatt for revealing information adversely affecting Modi’s image.”

Sreekumar argued that by virtue of submitting an affidavit, Bhatt had become a witness and must be provided security as per Supreme Court directions in Gujarat riot cases. He also reminded that how former minister Haren Pandya, who had revealed similar information before the Citizens Tribunal headed by Justice Krishna Iyer, was assassinated under suspicious circumstances.

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