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Gujarat IB officers transferred for putting Modi's controversial speech on record

Sheela Bhatt in New Delhi

The controversy over Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's inflammatory remarks against the minorities during his Gujarat Gaurav Yatra has taken a new turn.

Gujarat state intelligence bureau chief and his two deputies have been transferred 'on punishment postings' for putting on record Modi's anti-Muslim remarks made at Bahucharaji near Mehasana on September 9, 2002.

Additional Director General Srikumar has been transferred to the police reforms department. Srikumar had joined the state IB just four months back.

Deputy Inspector General of Police E Radhakrishna, in charge of political and communal affairs, has now been transferred to Junagadh as principal of the Police Training College, while Deputy Commissioner of Police Sanjiv Bhatt, in charge of internal security, has been transferred as principal of the State Reserve Police Training College.

Modi had been quoted as saying, "The Muslim philosophy is: 'we five, ours twenty five'." Modi also said the relief camps, where riot victims have been given shelter, are misused as the 'breeding ground to produce children'.

Though Modi denied making such remarks, the National Commission for Minorities had asked the state government to give a report on the matter, upon which the state IB sent Modi's speech, which was recorded as part of routine procedure, to the Commission.

State IB sources told rediff.com that there were attempts to make the bureau withhold the cassette from the headquarters in Gandhinagar to prevent it from becoming part of the official records.

A Modi sympathiser, however, said, "State IB acted as the centre of anti-Modi activity since the Godhra days and is bent upon harming his reputation at the behest of a few senior Congress leaders."

Gujarat Elections 2002: The complete coverage

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