A sting operation backed by Tehelka magazine on Thursday claimed to have  exposed the involvement of  VHP leaders in the post-Godhra riots of  2002 with Chief Minister Narenda Modi “giving them free hand for three days”  to attack minorities in the state.

 The sting operation telecast by Headlines Today and Aaj Tak  showed on record  the VHP leaders like Baba Bajrangi,  Anil Patel, Dhawel Patel as also Harsih Bhatt, the BJP MLA, Godhra, saying how they killed Muslims, made bombs and got “most helpful Gujarat police” facilitating their task. The television story had Gujarat VHP leaders as saying that apart from Modi it was VHP national general secretary Praveen Togadia who guided them in their operation.

“It is the most important story of our times, and the most important done by Tehelka. It is a very, very disturbing story, and an extremely distressing experience for journalists who were involved in it. The story revals the kind of people we have become,”  said Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal at a press briefing here.

Tejpal said their operation had  have people on tape saying that they received assurance from Modi to go on doing it for three days. In different places, he appear to have blessed them, he said.

 “It shows how justice had been subverted and how some police actively participated, how the entire establishment colluded to try and save the accused. I hope this story leads to some kind of action,” Tejpal said.

Asked about the relevance of  the story just ahead of the Gujarat polls, the Tehelka editor said “as journalists, we cannot think of elections, etc., or who could take advantage of this.”