Narendra Modi

AHMEDABAD: Rakia Jafri, wife of the slain former Congress MP from Ahmedabad, Ehsan Jafri, has filed a complaint against Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and 62 others for "criminal conspiracy and colluding with other accused" during the 2002 communal riots in the State.

The 140-page complaint supported by documentary evidence has been sent by registered post from Surat, where Ms. Jafri is now staying with her son, Tanvir Jafri, to the Gandhinagar Sector 21 police station. Copies have been sent to the Chief Secretary, the Home Secretary and the Director-General of Police.

Besides Mr. Modi, the complainant has also named several members of the then Modi Cabinet, including Health Minister Ashok Bhatt, Home Minister Gordhan Jhadafia, and IAS and IPS officers. Ms. Jafri believes they were in a position to help the riot victims but "deliberately stayed away" due to alleged "criminal conspiracy." DGP P. C. Pandey, who was then the Ahmedabad Police Commissioner and had visited the Gulberg Society, where Jafri was burnt alive by a mob, was also among the accused.

Ms. Jafri has based her complaint on the affidavits filed before the G. T. Nanavati and K. G. Shah judicial inquiry commission by Additional Director-General of Police R. B. Shreekumar and others.

The complaint said the affidavit filed by Mr. Shreekumar and others made it clear that there was a "criminal conspiracy," and "some instructions" were issued to the State police to go soft on the Hindu rioters and allow them to vent their ire in the aftermath of the Godhra train carnage.

It pointed out that though the Gulberg Society in Chamanpura locality was just about two kilometres from the office of the Ahmedabad Police Commissioner and Mr. Pandey was telephonically informed about the plight of the Muslims and had come to the spot and seen the deteriorating law and order situation, no step was taken to protect the people.

It said the rioters began gathering in front of the Society early on February 28, 2002, the `Gujarat Bandh' day to protest against the train carnage the previous day. Mr. Pandey and other police officials, on being informed, visited the Society, but no attempt was made to disperse the mob.

"Ahmedabad being a metropolitan city with adequate police force, it is not possible that police cannot be deployed in the riot-affected areas. The Gulberg Society incident clearly shows that there was a criminal conspiracy and a case of colluding with other accused by the people in power to attack the Muslims," it said.

Ehsan Jafri was among the nearly 70 people killed or burnt alive in the riots. Police arrested 39 people in connection with the incident but the trial is pending following a Supreme Court stay to decide whether it should be held outside the State as demanded by some victims.

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