Sanjiv Bhatt sent to Sabarmati jail; Cong, BJP fight it out

AHMEDABAD/NEW DELHI: Senior IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, in the eye of storm after he filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court implicating Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi in the 2002 communal riots, was sent to judicial custody by a court in Ahmedabad on Saturday. Bhatt will now be lodged in Sabarmati jail till his bail hearing comes up on Monday.

Meanwhile, the Gujarat government added one more section, 194 of IPC, in the FIR against him for creating false evidence with a view to falsely implicating a person in a case, wherein punishment is death.

Bhatt was arrested on Friday in connection with an FIR filed against him by police constable KD Pant for allegedly threatening and making him sign a "false" affidavit about a high-level meeting called by Narendra Modi on February 27, 2002. Pant alleged that Bhatt had forced him to back his allegations on record against Narendra Modi. Bhatt claimed that his arrest was politically motivated.

Bhatt's wife had on Saturday written a letter to Gujarat's Director General of Police ( DGP) Chitranjan Singh and Ahmedabad Police Commissioner Sudhir Sinha, saying there is a threat to her husband's life. Sinha told pressmen that the control room had received the letter late at night wherein Bhatt's wife had said that she was concerned about the safety of Bhatt as he was being taken to crime branch.

"We have not taken any action as there is no threat to Bhatt's life", Sinha said. Sources said that Bhatt spent the night at a police lock-up in Gaekwad police station wherein four police personnel were posted to guard his security.

Congress, BJP wrangle over Bhatt's arrest

The Congress on Saturday defended Sanjiv Bhatt saying he is being "victimized" while the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) justified his arrest for allegedly threatening a policeman.

"Bhatt is being victimised. His premises are being raided again and again. There is no law and order in Gujarat," said Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi on Bhatt's arrest Friday for allegedly making the policeman sign a false affidavit.

Bhatt was arrested "only on the complaint of a fellow officer and (it) has nothing to do with charges made by him (on Narendra Modi)," BJP leader Arun Jaitley said.

"The arrest is absolutely justified... Just because you've abused Narendra Modi, it doesn't buy immunity from law. If you've broken the law, you must be willing to face consequences," said Balbir Punj, BJP leader in-charge of the party's affairs in Gujarat.

Source: TOI