'Courage to speak up on Godhra riots a positive development'

Against the backdrop of a senior IPS officer implicating Narendra Modi in the 2002 riots, Home Minister P Chidambaram today said it was a "positive development" that officials and people in Gujarat were now showing courage to speak up on the carnage.

He singled out senior IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt for the courage in coming up with his affidavit that alleged that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi had "allowed Hindus to vent their anger" in the 2002 clashes.

"The courage is coming, I think that it is a positive development," Chidambaram told reporters while referring to Bhatt's affidavit in the Supreme Court.

The affidavit reportedly stated that Modi had in a meeting on February 27, 2002 expressed the view that "rioters be allowed to vent their anger". Chidambaram said, "I think that these allegations have been in the air for some time. Now people are having the courage to speak up."

The Home Minister said that Bhatt had earlier made the statement before SIT, but there was not much effect.

Bhatt was the DCP of the state intelligence bureau during the 2002 riots and claimed in the affidavit filed on April 14 that Modi had asked his officers to remain "indifferent" to the rioters.

"I think another officer has also come up with a statement today," he said with regard to the Gujarat riots following the Godhra incident.