2002 intel records destroyed: Modi govt

Senior government counsel S B Vakil claimed that IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt had filed his affidavit before the Supreme Court knowing that the records were no longer available,and that his claims implicating Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the 2002 riots cannot be verified.

The state government is questioning Bhatt at the GT Nanavati-Akshay Mehta Commission. Bhatt had claimed that Modi wanted the state administration to let Hindus vent their anger against Muslims following the Godhra train attack.

Vakil said that state IB records were destroyed in 2007,and that this was standard practice. He said it was because Bhatt knew that these records no longer exist that he filed the affidavit,since his claims are unverifiable. Bhatt has asked the Commission to call for these records,which the state government had earlier said were classified.

Vakil asked Bhatt if he knew that all IB records of 2002-2003 were destroyed by the year 2007.

Bhatt responded he did not know that,adding that it was the bounden duty of the state government to perserve these records. Especially when it had direct relevance to the Commission that was inquiring into the Godhra train attack and the subsequent riots across the state,Bhatt said.