Gandhinagar, September 30: Suspended Gujarat Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Sanjeev Bhatt, who had alleged that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi had asked officials to be indifferent towards rioters during the 2002 riots, was arrested by the Gandhinagar police on Friday.
Bhatt was arrested on a complaint filed by KD Pant, who worked as a subordinate with Bhatt in the state Intelligence Bureau. According to Pant’s complaint Bhatt had forced him to file an affidavit in which Modi had been named.
He has been booked under Indian Penal Code Section 341 (wrongful restraint), Section 342 (wrongful confinement) and Section 195 (giving or fabricating false evidence with intent to procure conviction of offence punishable with imprisonment for life or imprisonment).
The Narendra Modi government ordered the suspension of the Inspector General-rank officer on August 8 on the grounds that his conduct was unbecoming of an IPS officer.
The specific reasons cited against Bhatt was unauthorised absence of duty, non-appearance before a departmental panel and alleged misuse of official vehicle.
Bhatt, who had earlier accused Modi of misusing state machinery during post-Godhra riots, alleged recently that SIT probe details on riots cases were leaked to a top law officer of the state government. He had also accused Modi of asking cops to ignore calls for help from Muslims during the riots.
—-PTI