Guwahati: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday finally spoke out in response to the Supreme Court’s recent decision upholding the SIT’s inquiry and clearing Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2002 Gujaratriot case.
Shah claimed that Modi was emulating “Lord Shiva who drank poison and retained it in his throat” by bearing the anguish of false accusations for the past 19 years without saying a word.
“I witnessed his anguish. He battled this for 18 or 19 years silently, enduring every agonising ache like Lord Shiva’s “vishpaan” (poison). Given that the matter was still pending, only someone with a strong will could have made such a stand to keep silent ” he said.
It needs to be mentioned that the Special Investigation Team’s (SIT) clean chit of health for 64 individuals, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the 2002 Gujarat riots case was affirmed by the Supreme Court of India on Friday. It denied a claim made by Congressman Ehsan Jafri’s wife Zakia Jafri, saying the claim lacked merit.
On February 28, 2002, Ehsan Jafri died as a result of the unrest at Gulbarg Society in Ahmedabad.
A three-judge panel ruled that the appeal lacked substance and affirmed the Metropolitan Magistrate’s and later the High Court’s judgments to accept the Special Investigation Team’s (SIT) clean bill of health for Prime Minister Modi and others.
The appellant was criticised by the highest court for “bordering on undermining the integrity and sincerity of investigators” while the SIT was complimented for its work. In addition, the court mentioned “certain disgruntled Gujarat officials and others trying to create a sensation by making false revelations to keep the pot boiling for ulterior intents.” According to the bench, people responsible for such “abuse of procedure deserve to be in the dock and face law.”
According to Kapil Sibal, who represented Zakia Jafri, the SIT did not conduct an investigation but rather a collaborative exercise, and its report was riddled with omissions designed to protect conspirators. Additionally, he said that both police and SIT employees were “honourably compensated”.
However, the SC claimed that Jafri’s plea was spurred and motivated by orders from “some others.”