police constable who had filed an affidavit supporting the Bhatt’s claim against chief minister Narendra Modi.
Bhatt had accused Chief Minister Narendra Modi of misusing state machinery against Muslims during the 2002 post-Godhra riots and asked transferring a criminal case against him outside the Gujarat.
A Constable KD Pant who had earlier submitted an affidavit in support of Bhatt’s claim that the latter had visited the Gujarat CM’s office on the evening of the Godhra train fire, later changed his statement allegedly under pressure from state machinery.
Pant had later filed a complaint against his boss Bhatt accusing him threatening him and making him sign a false affidavit regarding the officer’s participation in the crucial meeting convened by Mr. Modi.
Mr. Bhatt, in his affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, had alleged complicity of Mr. Modi in post-Godhra riots and had also stated that Mr. Pant, who knew about the Chief Minister’s meeting, was threatened with dire consequences and arrest by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing some of the 2002 riot cases on the directions of the Supreme Court.
A bench of justices Aftab Alam and R.M. Lodha asked the Gujarat government and the Centre to file their replies on Mr. Bhatt’s plea by August 8, the next date of hearing.
In his affidavit to the Supreme Court, through Advocate Varinder Kumar Sharma, Bhatt had alleged that he had attended a crucial meeting convened by Chief Minister on February 27, 2002 after the Godhra incident, in which Mr. Modi had instructed senior government officials to allow Hindus to “vent out their anger” during the clashes and wanted Muslims to be “taught a lesson”.
The bench today remarked “is his memory not working or is he working under some political influence”?
