Gandhinagar: The nine-hour grilling of CM Narendra Modi on Saturday by the Special Investigating Team (SIT) appears to have humbled the man who has been trying hard to project himself as a leader who stands for development and inclusive politics. SIT chief R K Raghavan said on Sunday that further grilling of Modi could not be ruled out. From the time Modi went in for the second round of questioning a little before 9pm on Saturday, waving confidently at reporters, his spotless white kurta and churidar creased with the ordeal of the day, to the time he emerged from SIT office at 1.10am on Sunday, much of the sheen was gone.
Modi was treated like any other accused being interrogated in a preliminary inquiry under the direct supervision of the Supreme Court to decide whether an FIR should be filed against him or not. He was questioned on a range of issues beginning with the intelligence failure on the kar sevaks returning from Ayodhya. They asked me everything: Modi
The CM’s Grilling Covered Godhra To 2002 Elections
Gandhinagar: The nine-hour grilling of CM Narendra Modi on Saturday by SIT appears to have humbled the man. Modi was asked whether he gave specific instructions to police chiefs and bureaucrats who have been quoted as having got such orders, to allow Hindus to vent their anger after the train burning in which 59 persons, mainly kar sevaks, were killed. SIT has evidence that Modi had instructed that the bodies of carnage victims be brought to Ahmedabad. Modi reportedly denied all the charges. It’s likely that SIT will call more police officers and bureaucrats to corroborate what Modi has said.
Not many of the 70-odd accused or witnesses interrogated by SIT’s low-profile retired DIG Ashok Malhotra have chosen to talk to the media so promptly after being questioned, but Modi gave instructions to his personal assistant, Tanmay Mehta, to arrange for a rack to keep microphones, maybe because he wanted to dictate this riot story. SIT, on its part, has maintained secrecy about all evidence recorded in this case.
During the break on Saturday afternoon, Modi sat alone outside, instructing Mehta to “take good care’’ of journalists outside — a gesture seen as rather un-Modilike. Modi told reporters: “My questioning started on 27th and finished on 28th.’’
“They asked me everything from February 27, 2002, to the elections of December 2002,’’ Modi said.
Far from the orator who ranted about NGOs trying to defame him, Modi now wished “God give wisdom to such people’’ and insisted that he had chosen to talk about Godhra only because he was “called for the first time to answer certain questions eight years later and I am here on the first given date.’’
About the duration, Modi said, “It took so long because the stenographer typed every word I spoke and took my signature on each page.’’ Sources told TOI that Modi fasted through the day, not even having the tea and biscuits offered to him during the break at 2 pm, until 8 pm, when he went home for dinner, before returning for the second session. Modi gave the impression that he wanted the questioning to be got over in a single day and was giving SIT a break “to do their homework’’.
Who’s Tanmay Mehta? Tanmay Mehta, a staunch RSS man, has been with Modi as his PA in the CM’s office ever since Modi came to power. Phone call records submitted as evidence before the Nanavati-Mehta panel, which were analysed by rights group Jan Sangharsh Manch, have reportedly indicated calls made to riot accused from his phone. The lawyer representing JSM Mukul Sinha has alleged that Mehta’s was one of the phones that Modi used during the riots. Mehta, recently filed an affidavit before the Nanavati-Mehta panel, saying the calls may have been made from his phone but he did not remember in what connection.
BIG STEP FORWARD: SIT CHIEF SIT chief R K Raghavan on Sunday said Modi’s questioning was a “very big step forward in unravelling quite a few mysteries”. He was confident he would file his report in the apex court by the April 30 deadline. He said the panel reserved its right to recall Modi for questioning again if necessary as is the practice followed in the case of any other witness.
CBI QUIZZES GEETHA JOHRI Geetha Johri, ADGP and Rajkot city police commissioner, was questioned recently by the CBI officers who are investigating the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case.
