Gandhinagar, May 10: VHP leader Pravin Togadia on Monday appeared before the Supreme Court-constituted Special Investigation Team (SIT) for questioning in connection with the complaint of Zakia Jaffery, whose husband Ehsan Jaffery was among 69 killed at Gulburg Society during 2002 riots.
Togadia was questioned for three hours and was accompanied by several VHP activists, who shouted ‘Jai Shree Ram’ slogans and sang bhajans outside the SIT office, till his questioning was completed.
When asked about the questions posed to him by the SIT, Togadia said: “I was asked whether I had come to Ahmedabad during the communal riots. I told then where would I go, to Pakistan?”.Togadia also slammed the apex court appointed panel.
“There is no enquiry ordered on 57 ‘Rambhakts’ (Ram devotees) burnt to death in the Sabarmati Express train carnage, while we are being harassed. For the SIT, this case file is the Bible, Gita and the Koran. We have only god with us and nobody else. But I will definitely give a fitting answer to all this,” he added.
SIT has already recorded statements of a number of persons named in Zakia’s complaint, which include former Minister of State for Home Gordhan Zadafia, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader I K Jadeja, former BJP MLA from Lunawada Kalu Malivad and sitting MLA from Mehsana Anil Patel, former IPS officer R B Sreekumar, social activist Teesta Setalvad, IG Shivanand Jha, some other senior police officers and political leaders. SIT is probing the role of prominent leaders of the state in the riots that spread in the state in the aftermath of the Sabarmati Express train carnage at Godhra on February 27, 2002. Many leaders and officials, who were on duty at that time, have come forward to give statements before SIT.
Chief minister Narendra Modi was questioned for nine hours last month.Togadia’s appearance is significant as the VHP had issued a bandh call on February 28, 2002 which was followed by large scale violence in the state.
—Agencies