[Reader-list] Teesta Setalvad cooked up macabre tales on Gujarat Riots : SIT

[Inder Salim]

may be Gujarat Riots never happened, may be media cooked the stories
of people being killed mercilessly,



On Tue, Apr 14, 2009 at 9:22 PM, Aditya Raj Kaul
<kauladityaraj at gmail.com> wrote:
> NGOs, Teesta spiced up Gujarat riot incidents: SITThe Times of India
> 14 Apr 2009, 1213 hrs IST, Dhananjay Mahapatra, TNN
>
>
> NEW DELHI: The Special Investigation Team responsible for the arrests of
> those accused in Gujarat
> riots<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/NGOs-spiced-up-Gujarat-riot-cases/articleshow/4396986.cms#>has
> severely censured NGOs and social
> activist Teesta Setalvad who campaigned for the riot victims.
>
> In a significant development, the SIT led by former CBI director R K
> Raghavan told the Supreme
> Court<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/NGOs-spiced-up-Gujarat-riot-cases/articleshow/4396986.cms#>on
> Monday that the celebrated rights activist cooked up macabre tales of
> wanton killings.
>
> Many incidents of killings and violence were cooked up, false charges were
> levelled against then police chief P C Pandey and false witnesses were
> tutored to give evidence about imaginary incidents, the SIT said in a report
> submitted before a Bench comprising Justices Arijit Pasayat, P Sathasivam
> and Aftab Alam.
>
> The SIT said it had been alleged in the Gulbarg Society case that Pandey,
> instead of taking measures to protect people facing the wrath of rioteers,
> was helping the mob. The truth was that he was helping with hospitalisation
> of riot victims and making arrangements for police bandobast, Gujarat
> counsel, senior advocate Mukul Rohtagi, said quoting from the SIT report.
>
> Rohtagi also said that 22 witnesses, who had submitted identical
> affidavits<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/NGOs-spiced-up-Gujarat-riot-cases/articleshow/4396986.cms#>before
> various courts relating to riot incidents, were questioned by the SIT
> which found that they had been tutored and handed over the affidavits by
> Setalvad and that they had not actually witnessed the riot incidents.
>
> The SIT also found no truth in the following incidents widely publicised by
> the NGOs:
>
> * A pregnant Muslim woman Kausar Banu was gangraped by a mob, who then
> gouged out the foetus with sharp weapons
>
> * Dumping of dead bodies into a well by rioteers at Naroda Patiya
>
> * Police botching up investigation into the killing of British nationals,
> who were on a visit to Gujarat and unfortunately got caught in the riots
>
> Rohtagi said: "On a reading of the report, it is clear that horrendous
> allegations made by the NGOs were false. Stereotyped affidavits were
> supplied by a social activist and the allegations made in them were found
> untrue."
>
> Obviously happy with the fresh findings of the SIT which was responsible for
> the recent arrests of former Gujarat minister Maya Kodanani and VHP leader
> Jaideep Patel, Rohtagi tried to spruce up the image of the Modi
> administration, which was castigated in the Best Bakery case by the apex
> court as "modern day Neros". He was swiftly told by the Bench that but for
> the SIT, many more accused, who are freshly added, would not have been
> brought to book<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/NGOs-spiced-up-Gujarat-riot-cases/articleshow/4396986.cms#>.
>
>
> The Bench said there was no room for allegations and counter-allegations at
> this late stage. "In riot cases, the more the delay, there is likelihood of
> falsity creeping in. So, there should be a designated court to fast track
> the trials. Riot cases should be given priority because feelings run high
> having a cascading effect," it said and asked for suggestions from the
> Gujarat government, Centre, NGOs and amicus curiae Harish Salve, who said
> the time had come for the apex court to lift the stay on trials into several
> post-Godhra riot cases.
>
> While additional
> solicitor<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/NGOs-spiced-up-Gujarat-riot-cases/articleshow/4396986.cms#>general
> Gopal Subramaniam agreed with the court that public prosecutors
> should be selected in consultation with Raghavan, counsel Indira Jaising
> said there should be a complete regime for protection of witnesses as the
> same government, which was accused of engineering the riots, was in power
> now.
>
> Salve said that he would consult Raghavan and let the court know about a
> witness protection system for post-Godhra riot cases. The court asked the
> parties to submit their suggestions within a week.
>
> dhananjay.mahapatra at timesgroup.com
> _________________________________________
> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city.
> Critiques & Collaborations
> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header.
> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list
> List archive: &lt;https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/>



-- 

http://indersalim.livejournal.com