New Delhi: A special investigation team (SIT) of Gujarat police claimed Friday that activist Teesta Setalvad was a part of “larger conspiracy” and working at the behest of the late Congress leader Ahmed Patel, to malign the image of then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and other top state functionaries.
The SIT is probing charges of “fabrication of evidence” and “conspiracy” linked to the 2002 riots against Setalvad.
In an affidavit submitted by the SIT’s investigating officer B.C. Solanki in a Ahmedabad civil sessions court to challenge Setalvad’s bail plea, the probe team further claimed that Setalvad, along with other accused persons — IPS officers R.B. Sreekumar and Sanjiv Bhatt — received “political, financial and other material benefits” from the “rival political party”, for their attempts to destabilise the then elected Gujarat government “by hook or crook”.
Citing two witnesses, the affidavit alleged that Patel, who was then “a Rajya Sabha MP and political advisor to President of INC (Indian National Congress),” had paid Setalvad Rs 5 Lakhs at the first clandestine meeting held just a few days after the Godhra incident, to act as part of a “conspiracy from the very beginning”.
“Two days later, in a meeting conducted at the Government Circuit House, Shahibaug (a locality in Ahmedabad), between late Shri Ahmed Patel and the applicant (Setalvad)… the said witness had handed over Rs 25 lakh more to the applicant (Setalvad) on instruction of Late Shri Ahmed Patel…money given to the applicant (Setalvad) was not part of any relief-related corpus as all relief material in the form of food materials and other essential commodities was provided across Gujarat by one Gujarat Relief Committee,” the affidavit read.
In a judgement delivered on 24 June the Supreme Court had dismissed a plea challenging a special investigation team’s clean chit to then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi over the 2002 riots. The verdict also said those who “kept the pot boiling” should be put “in the dock”.
A day later Gujarat Police arrested Teesta Setalvad and former director general of police R.B. Sreekumar, for allegedly giving false information to various courts and the SIT, in a bid to tarnish the Prime Minister’s image. Both are at present in judicial custody.
Meanwhile, a war of words ensued between the BJP and Congress Saturday, following the SIT affidavit. While the Congress called the SIT’s allegations “mischievous” and “manufactured”, BJP accused Sonia Gandhi of being the “driving force” behind the “conspiracy” to implicate then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi in the 2002 riots case.
‘Maligning image of Gujarat’
The affidavit repeatedly referred to the meeting that took place at Patel’s residence in New Delhi, where Setalvad and Bhatt allegedly met “concerning the collection of fund in the name of the riot-affected person”. It was claimed that both meetings and funds were used to fuel their own ambitions by maligning the image of Gujarat.
“Witness had stated in the statement … that for the efforts of her team to falsely implicate person(s) with no roles in the crimes, the present applicant (Setalvad) was awarded ‘Padma Shri’ by the then Government of India in the year 2007,” the affidavit added.
The affidavit was referring to Setalvad’s earlier accusations against then CM Modi and other BJP leaders in the 2002 Gujarat riots.
It also pointed to an alleged nexus between the top Congress leaders in Gujarat and Bhatt and Setalvad.
“It would suffice to mention here that from the various email interactions between Congress leaders and others with Sanji Bhatt receiving ‘packages’ and also legal assistance provide further credence to their implications in commission of offences… Sanjiv Bhatt was simultaneously in contact with present applicant (Setalvad) and was coordinating with her pursuant to the political motive of the larger conspiracy.”
(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)
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