‘Bhatt was not in Modi meeting’ – ToI – 24.4.11

But His Driver Backs Claim That The IPS Officer Had Met Modi Personally

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad: The post-Godhra riots conspiracy story gets curiouser. Gujarat ex-DGP K Chakravarthi has said that IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt was not even in the meeting where he claimed Narendra Modi wanted Hindus to vent anger over the train burning. Bhatt's contention was made in an affidavit to the Supreme Court.
    Chakravarthi headed the state's police force, which is now facing blame for not controlling the riots of 2002. Chakravarthi told STOI over the phone from Mumbai that he had told the SC-appointed Special Investigation Team that Bhatt was not in the meeting which Modi presided over on February 27, 2002 after the Godhra carnage. He said he didn't give the information to SIT suo motu.
"The SIT asked me about Bhatt and so I
told them," Chakravarthi said. Asked who else was there in the meeting besides him, the former DGP -- who was questioned by the SIT -- said, "I have already told the SIT everything. The Supreme Court is already seized of the matter and it will know who is telling the truth."
    Bhatt's driver then, Tarachand Yadav, told a TV channel that Bhatt went to Modi's house that day. Yadav said, "We went first to the police bhavan and after that 'Sir' went in the DG's (director-general's) car to the CM's (chief minister's) house. I was asked to follow him. I was waiting inside the car. We were at the CM's house for about 25 minutes, and then we went back to the police bhavan," he told the channel. "We stayed there for quite a long time, and then came back home after midnight," said Yadav.
    Bhatt said, "I've already said whatever I had to, in black and white.”