A POLICE inspector’s role in allegedly helping mobs burn huts in Gomtipur area during the post-Godhra violence emerged during cross-examination of Senior Police Inspector N R Jadhav before the Justice G T Nanavati and Justice K G Shah inquiry commission.
While deposing before the Commission, Jadhav, who was posted in minority-dominated Gomtipur in 2002, admitted that Police Inspector N A Modi was named in the FIR that related to the Ambika Mill shanty burning case of March 1, 2002.
“Modi’s name was recorded in the FIR for allegedly supplying fuel to the mob from his official vehicle for the purpose of burning shanties where Muslims lived,” said Jadhav, while admitting that an FIR was registered in regard to the incident only after the Gujarat High Court’s directions to do so in April 2002.
Jadhav admitted that he did not know the details of the incident till three days after the incident as he was not informed by juniors present at the spot. “I was not informed about the shanty burning case as we were busy with bandobast.”
Defending the delay, Jadhav said, “It was an unprecedented incident, the city was witnessing rioting everywhere. My duty was to attend to the situation and hold discussions with my juniors at a later stage.”
The police official further stated that he was unaware whether an inspector of the crime branch, R C Pathak, had fired at the mob to disperse the crowd which had set ablaze over 240 huts near the Ambika mill compound. No one was killed in the incident.
He said he was not informed that an FIR had not been registered in the incident but was aware that an application was sent to him to lodge an FIR in the case. Subsequently, a writ petition was filed in the Gujarat High Court. The court then issued directives to lodge an FIR in the case on April 10, 2002.
The panel also cross-examined V V Rabari, the then inspector general of police who was in-charge of troop deployment.
Rabari stated that he had not come across any message sent by I K Jadeja, the then urban development minister, addressed to the director general of police. He also said he was unaware whether the control room had received any message about the Bilqis Bano gangrape and the murders of her relatives from Dahod district.
The official also said that though he was the IGP, he was not directly involved in the decision-making about troop deployment.
‘‘On February 26, 2002, 17 companies of State Reserve Police (SRP) were present and the deployment did not increase till March 18, 2002.
Rabari said that observing the grim situation, the Army was deployed in the city on March 1 with 12 columns ordered to maintain law and order in the city.