New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah in an interview with news agency ANI said that Narendra Modi did not "do drama" while appearing before the SIT. "Modi ji didn't do drama while appearing before SIT - come out in my support, call MLAs-MPs & stage dharna...If SIT wants to question CM,he himself is ready to cooperate. Why protest?" he said.
On the question that police and officials did not take adequate action, Shah alleged that an ecosystem was created by "politically motivated journalists and some NGO" which made lies believe as truth. "Troika of BJP's political rivals,ideologically driven politically motivated journalists and some NGOs publicised the allegations. They had a strong ecosystem so everyone started believing lies to be truth," he said.
He further said that applications were submited against members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in every police station by NGOs and the media exerted pressure to act upon those application that they were "treated as truth." On being asked about NGOs involved, the Union Minister said, "I read the judgement(24th June's)hurriedly but it clearly mentions Teesta Setalvad's name."
He targeted Teesta Setalvad and her NGO saying that the "NGO had signed affidavit of several victims and they did not even know. Everyone knows Teesta Setalvad's NGO was doing this. When UPA Govt came to power at that time, it helped the NGO."
Responding to the claims that charred bodies of Godhara train burning victims were paraded, Shah said that "no parade was done" adding that "they were taken to civil hospital from where their families took to their homes in closed ambulance." Reacting to the question on delay in calling the Army during the riots, he said that the Gujarat government was not late and had called the Army on afternoon when call for Gujarat Bandh was given.
"Army takes some time to reach...There wasn't even a day's delay. Court appreciated it too," he said.
Shah's interview comes a day after the Supreme Court dismissed, slain Congress leader Ehsan Jafri's wife, Zakia Jafri's plea challenging clean chit given by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to 64 people including then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the 2002 Gujarat riots case.
Appreciating the SIT for the "indefatigable work" done in the 2002 Gujarat riots case, the Supreme Court said that it has come out with "flying colours unscathed" adding that there is no hesitation in accepting its opinion that no case has been made out to indicate a larger conspiracy to cause or precipitate mass violence against the minority community in the state, as per a report by news agency PTI.
The Supreme upheld SIT's clean chit to then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi and 63 others in the 2002 riots in the state, ruled out that the probe by the SIT had been inefficient or infirm in this case.
Zakia Jafri had alleged a larger conspiracy and had challenged the Gujarat High Court's October 5, 2017 order rejecting her petition against the SIT decision.
Around 1000 people were killed in the riots that had broken out in the state of Gujarat after two coaches of Sabarmati Express were torched near Godhara Railway station which had claimed the lives of 59 karsevaks.