The senior Gujarat cadre IPS officer, Sanjiv Bhatt, who has filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court on the 2002 Gujarat riots and Chief Minister Narendra Modi's alleged “directions” to the police to allow “Hindus to vent their anger,” has expressed serious concern at his and his immediate family's security following “selective leakages” of his testimony before the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team.
But instead of providing him with adequate security, the “makeshift security” he had with five armed guards, was also “selectively withdrawn,” he said.
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In a letter to Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Balwant Singh on February 14 following publication of reports in the Tehelka magazine based on his testimony, he requested the State government for “foolproof security for himself and his immediate family members, pointing out that the “selective leakages” to the media of his “confidential testimony” before the SIT would anger not only “the ruling BJP in Gujarat and other organisations of the Sangh Parivar, but also some fanatical right- wing Hindu organisations and elements across the country.”
But Mr. Bhatt had to write another letter to Mr. Singh on March 5, pointing out that instead of providing adequate security, he was told by the Additional Director- General of Police (training) and the principal of the Police Training College, Junagadh, Anil Partham, that the vehicle and the five SRP armed guards he had deployed for his and his family's “makeshift security” from the SRP training college, were being withdrawn, causing “irreparable jeopardy to my and my immediate family members' security.”
Pointing out that he was a prime witness to the complaint filed by Zakia Jaffrey, wife of a slain former Congress MP, before the Supreme Court, he said withdrawal of his security cover not only amounted to “abdication of the duty cast upon the State,” but would also tantamount to a “blatant attempt by the agencies of the State to obstruct the judicial process.”
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Mr. Bhatt wrote another letter to Mr. Singh on April 13 pointing out that not only had he not been provided with any security, but whatever “makeshift” arrangements there were, were being withdrawn, despite the fact that the State Intelligence Bureau and the Ahmedabad police recently carried out a security check and recommend “Y-category” security for him and his immediate family members.
Mr. Bhatt also annexed with the affidavit copies of his two letters written to the SIT chairman, R. K. Raghavan, on March 15 and March 22, this year, detailing the attempts by the members of the SIT to scuttle the investigations into the aspects of “larger conspiracy and official orchestration” in the investigation into the Gujarat riot massacres.