AHMEDABAD, Nov 20 Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s general secretary in Gujarat is a pathologist called Jaideep Patel. He was booked for rioting and arson in the Naroda Patiya massacre, the worst post-Godhra riot incident in which 83 were killed, many of them burnt alive. The police closed the case saying there was not enough evidence.Two compact discs could change that.

For, they contain records of all cellphone calls made in Ahmedabad from February 25, 2002, two days before the horrific Sabarmati Express attack to March 4—five days that saw the worst communal violence in recent history.

This staggering amount of data—there are more than 5 lakh entries—was investigated over several weeks by this newspaper.

They show that Patel was in touch with the key riot accused, top police officers, including the Police Commissioner, top government officials, and even the Chief Minister’s Office while Naroda burned.

The CDs, obtained by the Crime Branch of the Gujarat police way back in April, are now sitting with the Nanavati Shah Commission. They have been obtained by The Sunday Express and are a treasure trove of information that investigators could build on in their search for justice for the riot victims.

These are not transcripts of conversations.

These show:

• How the riot accused were in regular touch with politicians, police officers and government officials. All at a time when the city and the state was burning, when the Narendra Modi government looked the other way and the Opposition Congress went to sleep.

• Using cellphone tower locations, the data also gives information on the physical location of the caller and the person at the other end.

In the first of a series of reports detailing the records of the key characters of the Gujarat riots, The Sunday Express looks at the movements and calls of VHP leader Jaideep Patel.

Records show that Patel, who lives in Naroda, was there when the massacre began, then left for Bapunagar which also witnessed killings and returned to Naroda. And that he was in touch with other riot accused, Babu Bajrangi, Ashok Govind Patel, Bipin Patel and local BJP MLA Maya Kodnani.

February 27, 2002

Sabarmati Express attacked at 8.05 am, bandh called by VHP in the evening, BJP backs the bandh

Patel is in touch with senior police officials, his VHP colleagues in Delhi, state Home Minister, BJP chief

  Recalling the calling  

• When asked to explain his cell records, Jaideep Patel said: ‘‘I don’t remember who all I spoke to, it’s been a long time since Godhra. But I brought the bodies to Ahmedabad, I might have spoken to cops as some Godhra victims could have been from Naroda. I might have spoken to people in the govt, I do not know. After all, I am a leader of the Hindus, several people speak to me everyday. It can’t be said that because I spoke to certain persons, something happened somewhere.’’ • Why was Minister Gordhan Zadaphia in touch with Jaideep Patel? Zadaphia: ‘‘When the inquiry commission will ask...I will reply. If I’m speaking to different persons who I think can help me restore normalcy, there is nothing wrong.’’ • Why did the Chief Minister’s Office contact Jaideep Patel? PS Tanmay Mehta, who made the call: ‘‘I do not know anything about this.’’ • Did the Crime Branch study the cellphone records before closing the case against Patel? Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) P P Pandey: ‘‘There are certain aspects about it yet to be looked into. As the Police Commissioner is on leave, I cannot comment.’’ • Will the review panel, set up at the behest of the Supreme Court, look into these records while scrutinising the 2,100 closed riot cases? DGP A K Bhargav who heads the panel: ‘‘These cellphone records have little value, they do not prove anything. Yes, these can be used to trace the movements of an accused.’’

• 12.48 pm: Patel is in Godhra and one of the first persons he speaks to is then Ahmedabad DCP (Zone V) R J Savani who calls him at 1.05 pm.

• 2.29 pm: Patel receives a call from a Delhi number and speaks for 215 seconds. This number is registered in the name of Bharatiya Sanskriti Pratishthan, Sector-6, R K Puram, New Delhi, the VHP headquarters.

• 3.30 pm: Patel calls state BJP President Rajendrasinh Rana and speaks for 267 seconds. At 4 pm the VHP called for a Gujarat Bandh the next day, on February 28, 2002, and the BJP quickly declares its support.

• 5.00 pm: Patel receives a call from Bharatiya Sanskriti Prathisthan, Delhi and speaks for 357 seconds.

• 5.07 pm: Patel again receives a call from this Delhi institution.

• 5.14 pm: DCP Savani calls Patel and speaks for 117 seconds.

• 5.17 pm: DCP Savani again calls Patel.

• 8.03 pm: Then state MoS (Home) Gordhan Zadafia calls Patel and speaks for 159 seconds.

• 8.39 pm: Patel calls Zadafia.

• 9.13 pm: Patel calls Zadafia again, this time for just 3 seconds.

• 9.16 pm: DCP Savani calls Patel and speaks for 138 seconds.

• 9.20 pm: Patel again calls Zadafia and speaks for 186 seconds.

• After 11.58 pm: Patel leaves for Ahmedabad with the bodies of the 58 persons who were killed in the S6 coach of Sabarmati Express.

FEBRUARY 28, 2002

Ahmedabad erupted; worst massacre in Naroda Patiya; curfew imposed in all 30 police station areas

Patel is in touch with Naroda corporator minutes before massacre begins

• 2.34 am: Patel enters Ahmedabad with the 58 bodies of Godhra victims, heads for Sola Civil Hospital.

• 9.17 am: Patel calls then state Health Minister Ashok Bhatt and after 10 minutes, leaves for Naroda.

• 10.11 am: Patel reaches Naroda and at 10.52 calls one Ashok Govind Patel of Naroda and speaks to him for 80 seconds.

(Ashok Govind Patel, who has been in constant contact with Jaideep Patel, is a BJP corporator from Naroda and an accused in the killing of eight persons in Naroda on February 28, 2002 and also in the case in which Jaideep Patel was named as an accused and which was later closed by the Crime Branch.)

• 11.05 am: Patel receives call from a cellphone which was allegedly being used by the prime accused in the Naroda-Patiya massacre, Babu Bajrangi.

The phone is registered in the name of one Priyanka Mahendra Pandya, B/3 Pragat Ghanshyam Society, Ranip. Records reveal that the phone had been carried to Godhra the previous day and was located in Naroda area from morning of February 28, 2002 till 8.28 pm.

When contacted by The Sunday Express, Mahendra Pandya, father of Priyanka Pandya, said: ‘‘I have been using this cell number for more than year. Three years ago, it was with Babubhai (Babu Bajrangi).’’

According to the police FIR, the attack on Naroda-Patiya started at 11 am and went on till 8 pm.

• 11.12 am: Patel again receives a call from Naroda corporator Ashok Patel.

• 11.21 am: Jaideep Patel leaves for Bapunagar area. This was one area in the city which witnessed unprecedented violence and the maximum number of deaths in private firing was reported from this area. This was under the control of DCP R J Savani.

• 11.32 am: Reaches Bapunagar and calls Minister Zadaphia.

• 11.37 am: Key accused in the Naroda-Patiya massacre, Bipin Panchal alias Bipin Auto, calls Patel and speaks for 62 seconds.

• 11.40 am: Patel calls then DCP (Zone IV) P B Gondia, under whose jurisdiction Naroda-Patiya and Gulbarg Society fall—38 persons, including ex-Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, were killed in Gulbarg—and speaks for 85 seconds.

• 11.52 am: Patel again calls DCP Gondia and this time speaks for 106 seconds.

• 11.55 am: Patel calls Ashok Patel and speaks for 63 seconds.

• 12.01 am: Ashok Patel calls back.

• 12.07 pm: Patel calls Ashok Patel and speaks for 71 seconds.

• 12.10 pm: Patel calls then Naroda BJP MLA Maya Kodnani and speaks for 79 seconds.

• 12.20 pm: Patel calls DCP Gondia and speaks for 42 seconds.

• 12.25 pm: Patel returns to Naroda.

• 12.39 pm: Patel returns to Bapunagar area.

• 12.57 pm: Patel receives call from the cellphone being used by Babu Bajrangi.

• 1 pm: Bipin Panchal calls Patel and speaks for 86 seconds.

• 1.17 pm: Bajrangi calls again.

• 1.19 pm: Bipin Panchal calls.

• 1.23 pm: Bipin Panchal calls again.

• 1.43 pm: Bipin Panchal calls again and speaks for 72 seconds.

• 3.25 pm: Patel receives a call from the Chief Minister’s Office and speaks for 141 seconds.

• 7.20 pm: Patel receives call from a cellphone registered in the name of Sanjay Bhavsar of General Administration Department, Government of Gujarat, and speaks for 102 seconds.

• 7.24 pm: Bhavsar calls again.

• 7.28 pm: Patel calls Bhavsar.

• 7.31 pm: For the first time in the day, Patel calls then Police Commissioner P C Pande and speaks for 47 seconds.

• 8.29 pm: Patel returns to Naroda area.

• 9.11 pm: Tanmay Mehta, Personal Assistant to the Chief Minister, calls Patel. The conversation lasts 209 seconds.

• 11.32 pm: State BJP President Rajendrasinh Rana calls Patel and speaks for 13 seconds.

By midnight, senior police officers, including Joint Commissioner of Police M K Tandon had reached Naroda-Patiya. The massacre was over, the survivors were being moved to hospitals and relief camps hastily set up by the Muslim community at Shah Alam and Dariya Khan Gummat. Another massacre had taken place in Gulbarg Society. Defence Minister George Fernandes arrived in town, the death toll was 125 and counting.

PART II

PART III

PART IV

PART V