"The mobile phone records dating back to the post-Godhra riots of 2002 clearly establish a pattern of conspiracy," Mukul Sinha, an advocate from a non-government organisation, Jan Sangharsh Manch told the Nanavati-Shah Commission in Ahmedabad.
"The phone records reveals the nexus between politicians, rioters and the Gujarat police," Sinha told the inquiry panel which was conducting a hearing on the mobile phone records present in the compact discs submitted to the commission by Central Bureau of Investigation officer Rahul Sharma.
Reiterating his demand to summon Modi, along with six others, Sinha also named the then home minister Gordhan Zadaphia and said the records showed that prime accused in the Naroda Patiya and Naroda Gam massacre cases were in constant touch with the minister.
Accused Bipin Panchal was in constant touch with Zadaphia from February 28 to March 7, 2002 when the riots were at its peak, he said.
"A person who is an absconder, what has he to do with a state home minister? Another Naroda Patiya accused and secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad Jaydeep Patel had rung up Zadaphia 18 times on March 1, 2002," Sinha said.
Sinha also named police officers R J Savani (who was the DCP of Zone V during the riots) as one of the police official who needed to be summoned.
"DCP Savani is one police officer who coordinated the entire riots," alleged Sinha, adding that Savani was in charge of the assembly constituency of Zadaphia.
Sinha said Zadaphia had made 23 calls to Savani on March 1, 2002 which was more than what he made to Savani's superior officers like the Ahmedabad city police commissioner P C Pande (six calls) and Sector-II head M K Tandon (two calls).
The phone records present in the CDs also show that police were 'running away' from places like Gulbarg society and Naroda Patiya when riots were at its peak, Sinha claimed.
Sinha also pointed out that a 'flurry of calls' were made by Savani, Zadaphia and VHP leader Jaydeep Patel on the evening of February 27, 2002 (the day Sabarmati Express was set ablaze).
"What were they discussing," Sinha asked.
"It was probably this time when the decision was taken to bring the bodies to Ahmedabad (which according to Sinha sparked off the riots)," he added.
Reading out passages from the affidavit of former Gujarat intelligence chief R B Sreekumar, in which he held Modi responsible for taking some crucial decisions, Sinha also asked the Gujarat chief minister to be summoned.
"It was Gujarat cabinet minister Ashok Bhatt who organised the post-mortem of 59 karsevaks who were killed in Sabarmati Express at Godhra on February 27, 2002," Sinha said.
Gujarat government counsel Tempton Nanavati told the commission that the government was against summoning the seven persons and would like to file written objections.
The state government had earlier questioned the very 'authenticity' of the CDs submitted by Rahul Sharma who was the then supervising officer inquiring into the Naroda Patiya massacre case.
The government had said that Sharma had procured the CDs containing the phone records from the mobile operators but had never submitted them as part of evidence in the case.
The issue of authenticity of the CDs received a set-back when the mobile companies, Vodafone and Idea, told the commission that they have not preserved the 2002 phone data. The Commission has adjourned the hearing on the matter to December 26.
