SIT gives clean chit to top ministers, BJP office-bearers

SIT gives clean chit to top ministers, BJP office-bearers

Top ministers and office-bearers of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in their statement with Special Investigations Team (SIT), have refuted Zakia Jafri’s allegations of their involvement in post-Godhra riots and claimed that they have been named in the complaint to malign their public image.

SIT earlier had indicated that no evidence was found against these ministers in the matter as alleged by Jafri.

The report has mentioned statements recorded of Ashok Bhatt (the then state health minister), IK Jadeja (state urban development minister), Gordhan Zadaphia (then minister of state for home), Prabhatsinh Chauhan (minister for cow breeding and shrine development), Ranjitsinh Chavda (minister of state for cottage industries) Minister of state for energy and urban development Kaushik Patel, finance minister Nitin Patel, former minister of state for home Amit Shah among other major leaders in the present and then BJP government. All of them had refuted the allegations made by Jafri. The report has also stated that the allegations against them were general in nature and could not be established.

Similarly, no evidence could be found against BJP and VHP office-bearers Kalu Maliwad former president of Lunawada Taluka Panchayat, BJP MLA from Waghodia Madhu Shrivastava, former BJP MLA from Padra Nalin Bhatt, BJP MP from Bhavnagar Rajendrasinh Rana, VHP’s former general secretary, Gujarat Dr Kaushik Mehta, International General Secretary of VHP Dr Pravin Togadia.

However, Gujarat state secretary of VHP Jaydeep Patel, former minister of state for higher education Dr Maya Kodanani, Babu Bajarangi have been indicated by the report that they have been facing similar riot 2002 cases like Naroda Patia and Naroda Gam. However, the allegations made by Zakia Jafri in her complaint could not be established.

SIT terms RB Sreekumar’s allegations ‘baseless’
Says these claims cannot be substantiated

The Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) rejected most of the allegations made by RB Sreekumar.
Sreekumar had alleged that no follow-up action was taken by Government of Gujarat or the chief minister on his reports on anti-minority stance of administration. However, SIT stated that the allegations made by Sreekumar could not be substantiated.

Sreekumar had also alleged in his affidavit before Nanavati commission that no direction was given by Modi to Hindu organisations against the observance of bandh on February 28, 2002. He had stated that bandhs had been declared illegal by Kerala High Court.

On this, SIT observed that the HC ruling is applicable to whole of the country unless overruled by the SC. But this by itself does not make the state government a co-conspirator to the riots. Even if the allegation is proved correct, it can’t be construed as evidence to bring home a charge of conspiracy, observed SIT.

SIT also termed baseless Sreekumar’s allegation that officers at grass-root level were not transferred as per state intelligence bureau’s recommendation till the arrival of KPS Gill as advisor to CM. 

On Sreekumar’s allegation that the state government failed to take action against the print media making communally inciting reports despite recommendation from state intelligence bureau and some field officers, SIT did not find material sufficient to make out any criminal case against any of the accused.

Sreekumar had alleged that the state home department had given misleading reports about normalcy in the state to Central Election Commission for ensuring early assembly election.

However, SIT observed that the allegations were not conclusively established.

SIT also gives clean chit to most IAS, IPS officials

The special investigation team (SIT) which investigated into the complaint of Zakia Jafri, gave a clean chit to 34 IPS, IAS and other officials in his report. However, it recommended strong departmental action against four senior officials of the state.

Among officials against whom strict departmental action has been recommended are the then police inspector Tarun Barot (now ACP, SOG); former JCP, Vadodara, K Kumarswamy; DCP, Zone IV, Ahmedabad PK Gondia; and former JCP, Sector II, Ahmedabad MK Tandon. Barot and Tandon were found negligent in discharging their duty in the Gulbarg society case while PK Gondia was charged with negligence in the Naroda Patia case.

Former chief secretary G. Subbarao; ACS Home, A. Narayan; and then Ahmedabad police commissioner PC Pande have all been given a clean chit. Others who have been exonerated of all charges include former collector, Baroda, Bhagyesh Jha; former collector, Bharuch, Anju Sharma; former additional CP, Ahmedabad, Shivanadn Jha; former collector, Ahmedabad, D.H. Brahmbhatt; former Special IGP, Baroda Deepak Swaroop, and former collector Ahmedabad Amrut Patel. The SIT’s report dismissed most of Zakia Jafri’s allegations against the officers as vague and baseless.

“Most allegations made by Zakia Nasim are vague and baseless as she does not have personal knowledge about the facts and had failed to state any of the facts mentioned in her complaint,” the report notes.

But SIT raises brow over Sanjiv Bhatt’s statements

Disregarding the statement recorded by suspended IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, the Supreme Court appointed-Special Investigation Team (SIT) has given several reasons to doubt suspended IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt’s statements. SIT sleuths have mentioned that Bhatt had used various media tricks apart from remaining in contact with several NGOs and activists and staying in touch with Congress leaders to influence amicus curiae.

In its report, the SIT has stated said that the officer remained in contact with top Congress leaders like Shaktisinh Gohil and Arjun Modhwadia who had provided him ‘packages,’ and certain materials in addition to legal assistance. It also revealed the emails exchanged between him and Gohil.

SIT has mentioned the name of one Amit Chippa, to whom Bhatt had said that he (Chippa) should try to mobilise support/pressure in Delhi to influence the amicus curiae. SIT has also said that Bhatt had exchanged emails with one MH Jowher and proposed him to file a PIL through a lawyer in Gujarat high court for providing security to him.

SIT also said that Bhatt had been maintaining close contact with IPS officer Rahul Sharma, DIG, Gujarat police. He was getting mobile call details of himself on February 27, 2002, which shows that he does not recollect his movements on that day.

The SIT report refuted claims made by slain BJP minister Haren Pandya before the members of Concerned Citizen Forum namely, justice (retd) PB Sawant and justice (retd) Hosbet Suresh that he was present in the meeting called by chief minister Narendra Modi at his residence on February 27, 2002.

The SIT concluded that it has been established beyond doubt that Pandya couldn’t have been present in the meeting and that the ‘so called’ evidence given by him was only on hearsay basis and is not admissible.