JOIN USIPS officer fires fresh salvo at Modi
The revelations by the 1988 batch IPS officer came about a month after he filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court alleging Modi’s complicity in the Gujarat riots. Following this, the Commission had summoned him to depose before it.
On Monday, while deposing before the commission, Bhatt was cross-examined by Mukul Sinha, counsel for Jan Sangarsh Morcha, the NGO fighting for riot victims. Bhatt replied in the affirmative when Sinha asked him whether he had attended more law and order meetings.
“Yes, I had attended two law and order meetings held on February 28, 2002 which was chaired by the chief minister. We were getting real-time Intelligence inputs on the build up of rioters at Gulbarga Society and specially mobs trying to target former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri,’’ Bhatt claimed.
When asked if the chief minister had issued instruction to act on this information, Bhatt replied in the negative.
No action
The IPS officer to a question also revealed that he had personally informed Modi that there was no action from the police on the ground.
“But to the best of my knowledge, there was no reaction from the chief minister on this,’’ he said.
“The meetings of 28th assume more significance since it was on that day violent incidents were reported,” he said.
He informed that he had given real time information coming from Gulbarga which included details on Jafri being gheroed by the mob. Worse, the chief minister did not react to this, said advocate Mukul Sinha.
Bhatt reiterated his charges made against Modi in his affidavit to the Supreme Court and informed the Commission that he was still to be given access to police records of that period despite repeated representations.
He urged the Commission to direct the government to present the documents. The Commission will rule on this only after the cross-examination session of the officer is completed. All eyes are now on the next date of hearing on May 23 when Bhatt will be cross-examined by the government counsel.