NGO seeks clarification over 'destroyed' Gujarat riot period data

The NGO, Jan Sangharsh Manch, has sought clarification from the state government about which specific records of the state intelligence bureau for the period between February 27, 2002 and May 31, 2002 had been destroyed.

The JSM, which has been representing some victims of the 2002 riots before the Nanavati-Mehta probe commission, filed an application before the commission in this regard. The petition is likely to be heard on July 9 when the probe panel's next hearing is scheduled.

The Manch moved the petition in response to the statement made by the government counsel Sharad Vakil on June 29 that the state intelligence bureau's records of the riot period had had been destroyed by the state government in 2007.

Vakil had made the statement to the media after the questioning of IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt who has made allegations against chief minister Narendra Modi in an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court in April this year.

The state home department, however, had later clarified that all crucial records related to the 2002 riots were intact and available. The department had further stated that Vakil seemed to have been misquoted or misinterpreted.

JSM convener, Amrish Patel, moved the petition seeking the clarification from the state government. He has demanded that the home secretary should be directed to file an affidavit stating which specific records of the state intelligence department for the period between 27th February, 2002 and 31st May, 2002, had been destroyed.

Patel has further demanded that the state government should be directed to state the name of the officer who gave the orders to destroy the documents. The JSM's petition has also demanded that the government produce the certificate of actual destruction of the documents which had been destroyed.

Patel made the same prayer and sought to know whether the documents or records of the DGP office, the DGP control room, control room of the police commissioners of Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot and Surat, for the February 27, 2002 to May 31, 2002 period had been destroyed or not.

He has demanded that the state government should be directed to produce or permit the inspection of all the vehicle movement registers (log books) of the vehicles used by the then DGP Chakraborty, Addl DGP Raigad, police commissioner PC Pande, and DIC Sanjiv Bhatt for the February 27, 2002 and March 3, 2002 period.