Author:
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: July 29, 2011
The credibility of senior Gujarat IPS officer
Sanjiv Bhatt has come under a cloud following a set of incriminating documents
showing how the officer - who named Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi guilty
in the 2002
Gujarat riots - was in constant touch with State Leader of Opposition Shaktisinh
Gohil and Gujarat Congress president Arjun
Modhvadia. Documents in the form of email exchanges between Bhatt and Gohil
revealed how the latter supplied background note of the riot cases to the
police officer. Evidence of the Congress leader's proximity to Bhatt could
be gauged from the further email exchanges where Bhatt requested for a Blackberry
phone from Gohil and within days also received the same.
The set of email exchanges, sufficient to
turn the needle of suspicion on Bhatt, will be filed by the Gujarat Government
before the Supreme Court, where the Godhra riots cases are being monitored.
The state intends to
bring the material on record before the court as evidence to disregard the
April 15, 2011 affidavit of Bhatt where he has directly named Modi to have
abetted Hindus as they went about executing the carnage against Muslims in
the state.
Interestingly, the Leader of Opposition in
the Gujarat Assembly is not the only Congress link of Bhatt.
Email exchanges further indicate that Bhatt
even contacted the State Congress president Arjun Modhvadia after desperately
hunting down his number from one of his contacts.
Addressing one of the email to this contact
(Nasir Chhipa), Bhatt wrote, "Arjunbhai spoke with me tonight. Let us
see where he can be helpful to the larger cause. We are likely to meet on
the day after tomorrow."
What is more damning is the conversation with
Gohil. In an email of April 27, 2011, Bhatt wrote to Gohil, "Still awaiting
the Blackberry. Please send me a copy of the Note. Will try to suggest points
if necessary."
In quick succession, Gohil replies, "Sure
Bhai! I am at Bhavnagar. Will be back at late night. Will send both tomorrow."
The next day, Bhatt acknowledges receipt of Blackberry. He adds, "Received
the item. Awaiting the note."
Later in the day, another email sent by Gohil
records two attachments, one giving background note of the pending riots cases
in court and another titled "Comments on the report submitted by the
SIT."
Within half-an-hour, Bhatt responds to Gohil,
"Read the backgrounder and the additional note. Both are highly informative.
The background document is particularly very comprehensive."
Bhatt shares with Gohil portions of his own
affidavit filed before SC and suggests, "If you go through my affidavit,
I have mentioned in paras 4 an 5 that I had supplied information to SIT regarding
the sequence of events that led to the burning of S6 coach at Godhra."