Sanjiv Bhatt has shown courage, says Jafri's widow

"We were aware of what happened at the meeting and what Modi said there, but now that Sanjiv Bhatt has openly talked about it, it gives me great courage and I appreciate the courage shown by him," Zakia Jafri said.

Ehsan Jafri was killed in the riots that followed the killing of 59 Hindus returning from Ayodhya Feb 27, 2002.Sanjiv Bhatt, a 1988-batch Indian Police Service officer, had filed his affidavit before the apex court in connection with a petition filed by Zakia Jafri.

"This time the situation warrants that the Muslims be taught a lesson to ensure that such incidents do not recur ever again," Bhatt quoted the chief minister as saying at a meeting held on the evening of Feb 27, 2002 as news of the Godhra incident spread.

"The chief minister expressed the view that emotions were running very high among the Hindus and it was imperative that they be allowed to vent their anger," said the affidavit, made available to the media Friday.