GUJARAT chief minister Narendra Modi did not encourage rioters to run amok after the Godhra attack, an investigative team appointed by the Supreme Court has said.
The team submitted its report to the Supreme Court in a sealed envelope, thus giving Shri Modi a clean chit.
The Times of India reports: “Sources said the Special Investigative Team(SIT) found ‘no substantial incriminating evidence’ against Shri Narendra Modi who was accused by Zakia Jafri of deliberately letting the rioters run rampage. Jafri’s husband, former Congress MP Ahesan Jafri, was brutally killed by a mob of rioters whom the police, allegedly, did not stop from attacking the Gulbarg Society housing complex.”
Last year, the Supreme Court had asked the SIT, headed by former CBI director R K Raghavan, to investigate Jafri’s complaint.
Shri Narendra Modi is projected by many in the party as India’s future prime minister.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi recently referred to Modi as an “evil leader” and compared him to Mao. The DNA reported: “…Rahul made some sharp remarks on Modi and said that his development is coming at the cost of a particular community. He then said the blemish of Godhra… will not fade away even if Modi does great work… He then went on to compare Modi with Chinese leader Mao Zedong.”
Modi has been chief minister since 2001. He is frequently criticised for his hardline Hindu line, but faces no charges of personal corruption. Gujarat overcame economic stagnation and recorded a growth of 10 per cent soon after Shri Narendra Modi took over. His troubles began in 2002, when a Muslim mob attacked Sabarmati Express and set fire to a coach, killing 59 people returning from Ayodhya. Riots broke out soon after the arson attack, and by Wikipedia’s reckoning, 93 Muslims and 77 Hindus were killed by the time the government brought things under control. Modi was accused of not controlling the rioters.
Modi’s official website refers to him as ‘Hon’ble CM’, but does not extend the ‘Hon’ble’ prefix to the prime minister. (www.yahooineditors.com)
