 | « Back to article | Print this article |
Raising doubts over the Gujarat government's claims that some 2002 post-Godhra riots-related intelligence documents were destroyed 'in routine course', suspended Indian Police Services officer Sanjiv Bhatt on Friday sought a "high-level investigation" into the matter.
Bhatt filed an application before the Justice G T Nanavati Commission describing the chronology of events starting with his deposition in June 2011 before the panel, when a state government counsel first claimed that the documents were destroyed, till a recent affidavit filed by the state with the probe panel.
He requested the commission to investigate into the claim of the destruction of records as also in order to unearth other documents, which have been "falsely claimed as not being maintained".
Finding faults with the averment made in the recent government affidavit, Bhatt has requested the commission to "urgently institute an independent high-level investigation into the exercise of its powers under section 5A of the Commission of the Inquiry Act".
The commission has fixed the hearing of the application filed by Bhatt on December 23.
Recently, Bhatt, jointly with NGO People's Union for the Civil Liberty had filed a PIL in the Gujarat high court to get the access of certain 2002 riot-related documents, which were, as claimed by him, repeatedly denied to him both by the state government and the commission.
While disposing of the PIL, the court has directed the state to produce documents sought by Bhatt before the commission and then directed him to conduct the inspection, following which, he will have to file an affidavit on that basis.
On November 2, the Gujarat government had admitted before the Nanavati Commission that some of the documents related to riots were destroyed by it 'in routine course'.