Only CBI enquiry can deliver justice- Left

New Delhi, Mar 25 (UNI) Welcoming the Supreme Court's direction to the Gujarat government to constitute a Special Investigation Team(SIT) to re-investigate the 2002 riot cases, Left parties today asserted that a fair enquiry is " not possible" during the Narendra Modi regime and called for a CBI probe into the" carnage".

The top leaders of the CPI, CPI(M) and Forward Bloc told UNI that on earlier occasions too, the apex court had to intervene in the Bilkis Bano case after the state enquiry had failed to deliver justice.

The Left parties demand for a CBI probe came in the backdrop of the apex court directing the Narendra Modi government in Gujarat to constitute a five-member SIT to further investigate ten major cases of the 2002 Gujarat communal riots.

The ten major incidents that took place at seven places include the Naroda Patiya Massacre Case and the burning alive of former Congress MP Ahsan Jafri by the rioters who were protesting against the Godhra train burning incident.

Talking to UNI from Hyderabad, where the party's 19th Congress is in session, CPI National Secretary and spokesman Shamim Faizi said his party welcomed the Supreme Court order but whether the SIT to be formed by the Gujarat government as per the directions of the apex court would be allowed a free probe is a question which only the future could tell.

''The reason is that in the past too on number of occasions, the Gujarat government had actually played every trick to sabotage the process of independent prosecution so as to ensure that the guilty were not brought to book,'' said Mr Faizi.

This is why, the CPI leader said, the Left parties had been demanding time and again that only a CBI probe could bring about the whole truth as it is not possible to have fair justice for the victims of the" carnage" during the Modi regime.

CPI(M) senior leader Nilotpal Basu said the past state record showed that it always ignored the direction of the apex court. ''The Supreme Court should itself appoint the SIT to get the cases investigated through CBI and other agency. The Gujarat administration and the police can not be trusted.'' Stating that the Court's order had vindicated the viewpoint of the progressive forces in the country that the riots were "state sponsored" Forward Bloc national Secretary G Devrajan stated that the enquiry made by the state government was" a mere eyewash." He said the Supreme Court had to finally intervene on several occasions.

The probe should be conducted by the central agency, he added.

UNI KSA RP DS1530