Prime Minister Narendra Modi gets clean chit in post-Godhra riots

Narendra Modi

Gujarat: The Nanavati-Mehta Commission Report on post-Godhra riots, which was tabled in Gujarat assembly on Wednesday, has given a clean chit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Gujarat Home Minister Pradipsinh Jadeja said, "Allegations were made against Narendra Modi that he visited Godhra without informing anyone. The allegations have stood false in the report of the commission. It was not a secret visit nor a visit to destroy the evidence."

The minister said that it was not necessary for Modi, who was then the Gujarat Chief Minister, to inform all the high officers of the state about his visit to Godhra. An allegation was made by former IPS Shreekumar in which he claimed that there was a meeting held at Modi's residence on February 27, 2002 night. In the meeting, the then Chief Minister directed the police and the state administration to refrain from resorting to any strict action and to permit the majority community to express their anger and anguish against the minority community.

On these allegations, the commission reported: "Shreekumar has not claimed that he was present in the said meeting. While officers present in the meeting have not supported this version." The report also quoted PM Modi as saying: "I was personally reviewing the situation continuously by holding review meetings of the senior government and police officials."

The first part of the report was submitted in 2008 by the Nanavati-Mehta commission. It covered the Godhra train burning incident in which it had concluded that burning of the S-6 coach of Sabarmati Express near Godhra railway station was a ‘planned conspiracy.' The first part also gave a clean chit to then Chief Minister Modi.

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