No probe for illegally disposed bodies of riot victims

Ahmedabad: Suspended IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, on Monday, claimed the Supreme Court-appointed SIT has not made any efforts to probe into allegations of bodies of the Naroda Patiya riot victims being illegally disposed of in a well despite specific documents supplied by him.

The allegation was made in a letter written by Bhatt to SIT chairman RK Raghavan.

Bhatt also reiterated his request to get his statement recorded before a magistrate under the provisions of Section 164(1) of CrPC in the missive.

Along with the letter, Bhatt has also annexed copies of the letters issued by State Intelligence Bureau (SIB) intimating the Ahmedabad Police Commissioner about reports of foul smell purportedly emanating from the decomposed bodies of the riot victims that were allegedly disposed of in the abandoned well on an open ground behind the State Transport Workshop in Naroda Patiya area.

"I had submitted detailed information and documents to the SIT regarding the illegal disposal of unaccounted dead bodies of the Naroda massacre of February 28/March 01, 2002," Bhatt stated in his letter to Raghavan.

"I believe that no genuine and sincere efforts have been made till date by any agency, including the SIT, to excavate the site for exhumation of the remains of the unaccounted and unidentified victims of Naroda (Patiya) massacre," he alleged.

"These documents were being submitted for sole purpose of ensuring that crucial evidence is not disregarded or concealed by the SIT with a view to screen powerful and influential offenders from legal punishment," Bhatt said.

Ninety-five people were killed at Naroda Patiya in the communal violence triggered by the Godhra train burning incident.

The documents annexed included a letter dated March 18, 2002 written by the then SIB chief GC Raiger to the Ahmedabad police commissioner asking for further information on reports that bodies of some of the riot victims of Naroda Patiya being disposed of in an abandoned well behind State Transport Workshop and then covered with rubble.

Raiger's letter further stated that the matter came to light after local people in the locality complained of foul smell coming from the well.

The other documents annexed by Bhatt included the follow-up SIB messages on the same day (March 18, 2002) to city police commissioner seeking thorough investigation into the matter and further stating that some people have tried to hamper police investigations by throwing a dead pig into the well also know as 'Tisra Kuva'.

The follow-up messages in Gujarati said that the site needed to be properly excavated and examined on the allegations that bodies of riot victims were illegally disposed of there.

Source: PTI | Last Updated 01:05(31/01/12)
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