Friday, April 29, 2011

NARENDRA MODI VS SANJIV BHATT IPS

B.RAMAN

The tussle between Shri Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister of Gujarat, and Shri Sanjiv Bhatt, an Indian Police Service Officer of the Gujarat cadre presently posted in Junagadh, is becoming murkIer and murkier---not reflecting well on either Modi or Bhatt.

2. The tussle has given rise to suspicions of petty-mindedness and vindictiveness on the part of Modi and a motivated unprofessional agenda on the part of Bhatt.

3. The present tussle started with an affidavit reportedly filed by Bhatt before the Supreme Court, alleging that Modi had instructed officers during a late night meeting held on February 27, 2002, to allow Hindus "to vent out their anger" during the clashes as he wanted Muslims to be "taught a lesson" after the massacre of some Hindu pilgrims by some Muslims at the Godhra railway station. There is nothing new about these allegations. Such allegations had repeatedly been made by the detractors of Modi from time to time since 2002 without their being able to prove them. Nor has Modi been able to disprove them in a convincing manner.

4.The only way of convincingly disproving them is by producing the minutes of the meeting held on February 27,2002, and the Roznamcha (General Diary) entries of the relevant police stations after the reported meeting of Modi.If the allegations against Modi are correct, this would be reflected in the lack of any reference in the Roznamchas to additional police deployments. If the allegations against Modi are wrong, such additional deployments would be reflected in the Roznamcha entries. The silence of the Gujarat Government all these years regarding entries in relevant records would give ground for suspicion that for some hours after the Godhra incident no written records were kept, particularly of the meeting reportedly held by Modi.

5.Bhatt's motive comes under suspicion for two reasons. Firstly, his belated action in coming out with these allegations. Secondly, the questions that have been raised regarding the correctness of his claim that he was present at Modi's meeting whereas some participants have reportedly denied it. Bhatt and his supporters have produced a statement of Bhatt's driver to show that Bhatt did attend the meeting, According to the driver, Bhatt travelled to the meeting in the car of a colleague and the driver drove Bhatt's car behind them. If this is so, this should have been reflected in the duty register of Bhatt's car. If there is an entry in the duty register of Bhatt's car, Bhatt is probably right and Modi's supporters are telling a lie. If there is no entry, Modi's supporters are probably right and Bhatt is telling a lie. Why has the Gujarat Government not released so far the relevant entries in the duty register of Bhatt's car ?

6. The tussle has been made more complicated by Bhatt's allegation that his security cover has been withdrawn after he filed his affidavit. This has been denied by the office of the Director-General of Police, according to which Bhatt's security entitlement has been reduced, but not withdrawn. Bhatt had been given a security entitlement of five security personnel of which four have been withdrawn.

7.The relevant question is when were they withdrawn. If they had been withdrawn before Bhatt filed his affidavit, Bhatt's complaint has no basis, If they had been withdrawn after he filed his affidavit, a strong presumption will be that there was a link between his filing his affidavit and a re-examination of the threat perception resulting in a dilution of the security provided to him.This would smack of petty-mindedness and vindictiveness towards Bhatt because of the affidavit.

8. A large number of Tweets recveived by me have claimed that this was purely a professional decision taken in the police department and that it will, therefore, be incorrect to blame Modi for it. Bhatt's case is unique----whatever be his motives in filing the affidavit. He had made serious allegations against Modi. If Modi was sensitive enough, he would have ensured that nothing was done either by his office or by the DGP's office which could be misconstrued as vindictiveness. By failing to act till now, Modi has strengthened the impression that there is more than meets the eye in the dilution of the security provided to Bhatt.

9. In recent months, Modi has been trying to project a positive image of himself as a good and progressive Chief Minister---with some success. The way Bhatt's case has been handled---it is immaterial whether it was done by his office or by the DGP's office--- would provide credibility to those who have not been convinced of the genuiness of this positive image and have been arguing that it is the same old vindictive Modi who has been ruling Gujarat.

10. The shadow of his alleged post-Godhra vindictive reflexes continues to follow Modi wherever he goes and whatever he does.He may not be able to shake off this shadow unless he comes out with a white paper giving details of all actions taken by him and the police after the Godhra massacre, supported by relevant records of his office and the police. (30-4-11)

( The writer is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai, and Associate of the Chennai Centre For China Studies. E-mail: seventyone2@gmail.com )

10 comments:

Back to home said...

To the writer : Have you delebrately not quoted the past of Mr Sanjiv Bhatt or ur ignorent about it. http://www.dailypioneer.com/334703/Why-IPS-Bhatt-hates-Narendra-Modi.html.
.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/The-curious-case-of-Sanjiv-Bhatt/articleshow/8069656.cms

Vivian Richards said...

Mr Raman:

Please respond to the above comment. Else I will quit reading your columns in rediff.

Krishna Kacker said...

The delay in making charges against Modi makes it suspect of Bhatt's intentions as is the reported testimony of Bhatt's driver.How does the latter know Bhatt met Modi?Bhatt may have been waiting in an ante room when DGP and CM were discussing the matter, something that happens fairly often to the junior officers.I suspect the allegations are politically motivated and made at the instance of Modi's detractors who fear his growth as an able administrator.

Esoteric said...

Gujarat riots were a blot on Modi,Gujarat and India.If Modi is guilty he should be punished.

Very curious that Bhatts presence in the meeting is being denied,Modi and others could have accepted that Bhatt was present but denied that Modi gave any orders that Bhatt has alleged he did....If Modi and Co are lying the strategy is stupid..if they are not..Bhatt can easily prove he was present in the meeting by having his driver say some things or forge entries in some god forsaken registers...(that we all know can be forged in 9 hrs leave alone 9 years)

Esoteric said...

Must add that for the last 9yrs..not for once (till 2010) did lot of people like me doubt even for a moment that Modi was guilty.

Now his guilt or lack of it seems irrelevant.Its difficult to believe if any of the charges against him are true,even if they are was there a deeper conspiracy....by 'you know who'.

Kishor said...

Whether reader is a Modi-supporter or Modi-basher, the fact remains that (a) Mr Sanjiv Bhatt chose to remain silent for almost 10 years. One should ask why, when we had so many enquiries? (b) Though vast majority of our police officers are honets, whether everyone ackowledges or not, everyone knows how corruption has penetrated our police service. With the shady background Mr Bhatt is alleged to have, are you implying that he did not try to negotiate / blackmail Mr Modi to 'wiped clean' his record? If I was a betting man, I would say that probably happened, and someone probably refused to do this, resulting in these allegations against Mr Modi.

Mr Bhatt should be tried on his own merit and Mr Modi is already being tried on it's own. If we percecute Mr Modi on one sided bias, we are slipping into lawless ness.

Unknown said...

B Raman has addressed certain very basic issues about Sanjiv bhatt’s truth or otherwise. Do we mean an agency like SIT would not have gone into all these issues? Do we think they are duffers, not to have asked for simple records that B Raman is suggesting? Don’t we have even that much patience to wait for what SIT has to say. Or is it so that since nothing concrete is emerging against Modi, the forces inimical to Gujarat have taken resort to such petty affidavits for continuing their attack on Modi?

Unknown said...

Its quite amazing and disturbing that till now there were allegations of all sorts on Modi but now even the SIT is under the scanner. Its difficult to understand, how we can allege someone like Modi, we can mistrust an independent agency of the stature of SIT and give so much weightage to people like Sanjiv Bhatt and Teesta Setalvad. This is despite the fact that their own credentials are questionable. We have witnessed how teesta and her likes have changed colours over a period of time, sanjiv bhatt’s character too is unfolding gradually. There are reports that his career and conduct have been questionable since years. There have been many departmental inquiries against him and even a criminal case for beating someone to death !!! And for the so called intelligentsia, many inquiries are before 2002. We question the credentials of a Chief Minister who has presented himself before the SIT for hours together and patiently replied to all their questions, we question the credentials of SIT itself and we trust Sanjiv Bhatt? Why? Who are those elements who are interested in creating such hype ?

admin said...

Please read this article.
http://deshgujarat.com/2011/05/01/sanjiv-bhatt-episode-on-the-trail-of-truth-behind-the-hype/

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