“Too junior IPS Sanjiv Bhatt was not present at all in that meeting”
Ahmedabad, 22 April, 2011

This photograph is being circulated widely online. Its title is “Was BJP involved in Gujarat riots…….? check this and you will know Congress can prove anything.” The photograph shows Congress leader Digvijay Singh speaking at a book release function at Indian Islamic Cultural Center. The book is titled as “RSS Ki Saazish 26/11” (means 26/11 Mumbai attack was conspired by RSS).

As 2012, and 2014 come closer, you will see more and more attacks on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. No sharp weapon or gun shot, but cameras, TV, pens, papers(including currency notes, affidavits and newsprint) and propaganda will be used in such attacks. So on one day you will hear ‘breaking news’ of encounter related report targeting Modi, another day you will come across some revelation regarding 2002, also targeting Modi. Arrests of this person and that person are just pathways, but the golden destination is Modi, and that too before 2012(assembly election) or 2014(parliament election) to settle the score outside the electoral battle. With more and more people admiring Modi and following him nationwide, the game plan that has been cooked in Delhi, Mumbai, Saudi Arabia and America(non resident Indian Muslims) is possibly to finish Mr. Modi legally and not politically or physically. Intelligent people are busy in writing scripts, they are busy in positioning the key people, influencing some others, and making chess board strategies.

While Gujarat and the people of Gujarat are continuously focusing on 2020 and working hard to add prosperity of this nation, we never like to publish or read something related to 2002, but recent episode of IPS Sanjiv Bhatt’s affidavit needs a piece on your demand for having some clarity on this issue. This detail is based on Supreme Court appointed Special Investigation Team(SIT)’s leaked report few months back(now they are challenging SIT’s integrity also, they may ultimately demand Sharia court).

-SIT Chairman Raghavan notes: ‘The inquiry clearly established that a meeting was in fact held at the chief minister’s residence on the night of 27.02.02 after the chief minister’s return to Ahmedabad following his visit to Godhra earlier in the day.’ (Page 3 of chairman’s comments)

-According to SIT report before Supreme Court the meeting lasted for about half an hour. There were eight confirmed participants:

1. Chief Minister

2. Acting Chief Secretary

3. Additional Chief Secretary (Home)

4. DGP

5. Ahmedabad Commissioner of Police

6. Secretary (Home)

7. Principal Secretary to CM

8. Secretary to CM

-When inquiry officer of SIT examined Narendra Modi on 25 March 2010, Modi admitted that he had called a law and order meeting at his residence on 27 February 2002, after his return from Godhra where he had gone to inspect the Sabarmati carnage. Asked about who was present, Modi named the seven officers, apart from himself, listed above. Modi also said, “Sanjiv Bhatt, the then DC (Int.) did not attend, as this was a high level meeting.”

-Before the SIT, three of the senior officers present — “pleaded loss of memory due to passage of time”. (Page 16)

-Four other officers — have categorically denied that the CM had instructed the police not to control Hindu mobs for a window of time. One officer, who is presently on deputation to the Central ministry of commerce, has denied attending this meeting at all.

-Wrapping up his observation, the inquiry officer of SIT states: “It can be concluded that a law and order meeting was in fact held by Modi at his residence late in the evening of 27 February 2002. However, the allegation that the chief minister instructed the chief secretary, DGP and other senior officials to allow the Hindu community to vent their anger on the Muslims in the wake of Godhra incident is not established.”

-Senior IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt claims on his own that he was present at the meeting convened at the CM’s residence. Sanjiv Bhatt, presently a deputy inspector general, was posted as a deputy commissioner of police in the State Intelligence Bureau at that time.

-Sanjiv Bhatt told the SIT that it was DGP who had insisted on his presence at the meeting. According to Sanjiv Bhatt, since the state intelligence chief was away on leave, the DGP had wanted somebody from the intelligence department to be present to provide answers on the intelligence failure behind the Sabarmati carnage at Godhra and tackle any other intelligence related query that might have come up at the meeting.

-Sanjiv Bhatt, however, refused to say more. He told the SIT that since the probe against Modi was merely at a preliminary stage, he would not like to speak up. However, if a criminal case was registered he would be duty bound to testify and tell the truth. (Given the purely exploratory nature of the SIT’s mandate, as a serving officer, Sanjiv Bhatt’s rationale was that speaking out at this stage would jeopardise his career without necessarily having any impact.)

-Other seven officers at the meeting have denied to support Sanjiv Bhatt’s claim that he was present in the meeting. While three officers have pleaded loss of memory, then DGP has categorically denied Sanjiv Bhatt’s presence. Others too have not supported Sanjiv Bhatts’s claim.

-SIT has concluded on page 149 of his report, “Since Sanjiv Bhatt’s presence at the meeting is not proved his statement has to be ignored.”

-The SIT has stated that, “Sanjiv Bhatt is considered an unreliable witness, especially because no official, who is known to have definitely attended the meeting has spoken of his presence there. Also he was considered too junior to have been invited to such a high-level meeting.” (Pages 3-4 of chairman’s comments)