By TCN News,
Ahmedabad: Security cover has been sought for the man who has shaken the earth underneath Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi by filing an affidavit in the Supreme Court wherein he charged that CM Modi had asked police officers to let Hindu mobs vent their anger against Muslims during the Gujarat pogrom 2002.
R. B. Sreekumar IPS (Retd.) has requested the Supreme Court-appointed SIT to provide adequate and effective security to Sanjiv R. Bhatt (IPS 1998), Principal SRPF Training College, Junagadh, apprehending that “the activists of the Sangh Parivar and over-zealous fans of Narendra Modi are likely to nurture severe ill-will and hatred against Sanjiv Bhatt for revealing information adversely affecting the image of Narendra Modi, which would even result in the initiation of criminal prosecution against him.”
Sanjiv Bhatt [Photo: Star News]
Bhatt earlier this month filed an affidavit relating to SIT investigation on the complaint by Ahsan Jafri against Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister of Gujarat, senior politicians and bureaucrats in the Apex Court.
Sreekumar, in his letter, requesting security for Bhatt, has mentioned the fate of former state minister Haren Pandya who had written to Citizens Tribunal regarding the involvement of Modi in the riot, and he was later assassinated in suspicious circumstances.
“Reportedly, Shri Bhatt’s Affidavit contained vital evidence incriminating and damaging to Shri Narendra Modi, viz. Shri Modi in the meeting chaired by him on 27.02.2002 evening giving many instructions in violation of the letter, spirit and ethos of the Constitution of India and other laws of the land. Earlier, the late Shri Haren Pandya, the former State Minister, who submitted similar information to the Citizens Tribunal, headed by Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer, had been assassinated in suspicious circumstances. It is learnt that police protection provided to Shri Bhatt has been withdrawn recently, without assigning any reason,” wrote Sreekumar.
“It is pertinent to note that Shri Sanjiv Bhatt, who served the State Intelligence Bureau, during my tenure as Additional Director General of Police, (ADGP) Intelligence from 9.4.2002 to 18.9.2002 was quite successful to collect many advance intelligence inputs on the communal situation, in those disturbed days in Gujarat, and disseminating these to concerned persons. I had even appended copies of 12 such reports in my First Affidavit to the Justice Nanavati Commission on 15.7.2002 and 2 in my Second Affidavit to the Commission on 6.10.2004. Copies of these Affidavits were submitted to SIT Officer Shri V.V. Chaudhary, Supdt. of Police, State Intelligence Bureau, Gujarat State, during recording of my deposition in July – August 2009. The relevant material may kindly be seen.”
“Sanjiv Bhatt was transferred untimely out of SIB on 18.09.2002 along with me, reportedly for submitting a report by me, to the State Government, on a controversial speech with communal over tone delivered by Shri Narendra Modi in Mehsana District, during his Gaurav Yathra in Ist week of September 2002. Shri Bhatt had assisted me in preparing translation of the speech from Gujarati to English language.”
At the end of the letter, Sreekumar urged SIT for security cover to Bhatt. “So I deeply feel that Shri Sanjiv Bhatt and his family should be provided with adequate and effective security cover, after proper and comprehensive threat assessment urgently. Further, he deserves police support / protection as per the witness protection scheme ordered by the Honourable Supreme Court for the witnesses of the communal riot cases, being investigated by the SIT, under your supervision.”
Apart from Dr. R. K. Raghavan (IPS Retd.), Chairman, SIT, a copy of the letter has been sent to Registrar General, Supreme Court, Chairman, National Human Rights Commission, and Chittranjansingh, Director General of Police, Gujarat.