Gujarat riots 2002: NSC ask submission by Feb 21

Ahmedabad, Feb 11: The Nanavati-Shah Commission, probing the Godhra train carnage and the 2002 riots in its aftermath, has asked the government counsel to give a pointed submission by February 21 with regard to the application submitted by Jansangharsh Manch whether to summon seven persons, including Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, before the commission for cross examination.

The Government Counsel did not come out with any specific reply to reject the summons application. However, he questioned the authenticity of the mobile call data and doubted that the data can be tampered with, as the CD was in the private custody of the officer.

Commission Chairman G T Nanavati asked the government counsel to make a clear cut statement that the CD data, provided by the officer, is sufficient or not to summon the persons before the commission.

The judge told him that the state had appointed the commission to find out truth of the riots and ''we need reason to reject the summons application''.

The counsel sought two weeks time from the commission as he had to collect some printed data of the CD analysis report.

The commission agreed to his request and adjourned the hearing to February 21. The judge also asked the counsel to finish his submission in the next hearing as the commission had to take a final decision on the summons application pending before it.

Earlier, Advocate Mukul Sinha, representing NGO Jansangharsh Manch, in his submission before the commission, said various evidence had come on record regarding the conduct of the Chief Minister, his ministers and officials on their collusion with the rioters.

UNI