Sanjeev Bhatt writes open letter to Narendra Modi

Gujarat's suspended IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, who had once accused chief minister Narendra Modi of instructing bureaucrats and top cops to allow Hindus to vent out their anger against the minority community, has written scathing open letters to Modi and Maya Kodnani, the BJP MLA, who has been sentenced 28 years imprisonment in the 2002 Naroda Patiya massacre case.

In his letter to Modi, Bhatt wrote, "You must have been apprised about the punishment meted out to your loyal lieutenants Dr Maya Kodnani and Babu Bajarangi, as well as the misguided foot-soldiers of misconceived Hindutva, who have now been condemned to spend a life in prison. Was it perchance that you smartly distanced yourself from all these unfortunate people at an opportune moment?"

Till late Saturday night, neither Modi nor Kodnani, or anybody from the government, had reacted to Bhatt's letter.

"Have you even once thought about the plight of the wives and children of your onetime adulators who have been condemned for life?" Bhatt wrote to Modi.

Mincing no words, Bhatt said, "Have you ever looked at the reflection of the real face behind the mask? Have you ever introspected about your true self concealed behind the meticulous imagery created by your media managers?"

An alumni of Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IITB), Bhatt chose his words carefully, asking, "Have you even once thought whether it is really worth it to sustain power, even if it requires sacrificing fellow human beings at the alter of expediency? Have you ever considered, even once, whether it is alright to facilitate or connive in the killing of another human being just because he does not conform to your beliefs?"

Bhatt asked Kodnani how as a woman and a doctor she could incite the kind of violence that took place in Naroda Patiya. "Have you ever thought is it ok to kill another human being just because someone directed you to wreak vengeance on a particular community?" he asked Kodnani, adding, "Did it ever occur to you that those who patronised you, might one day betray and sacrifice you for political expediency?"

Full text of Bhatt's letter to Modi:

Dear Narendra Modi,

You must have been apprised about the punishment meted out to your loyal lieutenants Dr. Maya Kodnani and Babu Bajrangi, as well the misguided foot-soldiers of misconceived Hindutva, who have now been condemned to spend a life in prison. Was it perchance that you smartly distanced yourself from all these unfortunate people at an opportune moment?

Have you spared a thought for the innocent family members of the accused who have been sentenced to a lifetime behind bars? It is believed that you were once a married man. At some point in your life, like all normal humans, you might have been touched by the magic of love, even thought of having children starting a family, perhaps! Have you even once thought about the plight of the wives and children of your onetime adulators who have been condemned for life?

Mr. Modi, have you ever looked at your actual image, stripped of the designer dresses that you are so enamored with? Have you ever looked at the reflection of the real face behind the mask? Have you ever introspected about your true-self concealed behind the meticulous imagery created by your media managers? Have you even once thought whether it is really worth it to sustain power, even if it requires sacrificing fellow human beings at the altar of expediency? Have you ever considered, even once, whether it is alright to facilitate or connive in the killing of another human being just because he does not conform to your beliefs? Is it really worthwhile to deceive your own self... or, is it only a small price to pay for your political ambitions?

I hope and pray to God that you get the time, wisdom and opportunity to find honest and truthful answers to some of these questions during this lifetime.

God bless!

Sanjeev Bhatt

(With PTI inputs)

Source: The Hindustan Times