Citizens letter to India’s home minister to provide security for Sanjiv Bhatt

Shri P. Chidambaram

Hon’ble Union Home Minister

Government of India

April 29, 2011

Subject: Request for providing adequate and effective security to Shri Sanjiv R. Bhatt (IPS 1998), Principal SRPF Training College, Junagadh

Dear Mr. Chidambaram,

We are deeply perturbed by the media reports (pasted at the end of this letter) : Gujarat Govt withdraws security cover of IPS officer who deposed against Modi, Express news service, Fri Apr 29 2011, 00:36 hrs.

Sanjiv Bhatt IPS, DIG SRPF Training College, Junagadh, had filed an Affidavit relating to SIT investigation on the complaint by Smt. Ahsan Jafri against Shri Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister of Gujarat, senior politicians and bureaucrats in the Supreme Court of India.

Sanjiv Bhatt’s Affidavit filed in Supreme Court contains important evidence against Narendra Modi. Earlier, the late Haren Pandya, the former State Minister, who submitted similar information to the Citizens Tribunal, headed by Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer, had been assassinated in suspicious circumstances.

In the background of these circumstances and the prevailing conditions in Gujarat of ‘No to any Dissent’ today’s media reports about the withdrawal of security from Sanjiv Bhatt comes as a rude shock and is very disturbing.

There is a long list of serving officers who have been penalized by the state government for stopping the riots in 2002 in the areas under their jurisdiction and they continue to be harassed.

We as concerned citizens, individuals, activists, political workers, leaders feel extremely perturbed by this recent development.

We are writing to urge you to ensure that adequate and effective security cover be provided to Sanjiv Bhatt and his family urgently.

He is entitled to protection as per the witness protection rules ordered by the Honorable Supreme Court for the witnesses of the communal riot cases, being investigated by the SIT constituted by the Supreme Court.

Yours Sincerely

Released by Shabnam Hashmi on behalf of

1. Aamir Edresy, Association of Professional Muslims, Mumbai

2. Abdul Khaliq, Awadh Public Charitable Public Trust, Delhi

3. Abu Saleh Sharief, economist, Bangalore

4. Aditi Mangaldas, Dancer, Delhi

5. Admiral Ramdas, peace activist, former naval chief, Alibag, Maharashtra

6. Amitabh Behar, social activist, Delhi

7. Annie Raja, President, National Federation of Indian Women, Delhi

8. Anuradha Chenoy, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University

9. Biju Mohan, filmmaker, Barabanki, UP

10. D Raja, MP, leader, Communist Party of India, Delhi

11. Danish Ahmed, National Secretary, Janata Dal (Secular)

12. Dhirendra Panda, social activist, Orissa

13. Dr Harshvardhan Hegde, orthopedic surgeon, Delhi

14. Dr Jaya Mehta, Economist, Sandarbh, Indore

15. Dr. Ram Puniyani, writer and activist, Mumbai

16. Farukh Shaikh, film actor, producer, Mumbai

17. Father Cedric Prakash, Human Rights activist and Director Prashant, Ahmedabad

18. Gagan Sethi, social activist, Centre for Social Justice, Ahmedabad

19. Githa Hariharan, writer, novelist, Delhi

20. Hanif Lakdawala, social activist, Director Sanchetna, Gujarat

21. Harsh Dobhal, Human Rights Law Network, Delhi

22. Harsh Mander, activist, writer, member NAC

23. Indu Kumar Jani, writer, journalist, Ahmedabad

24. Jai Sen, CACIM , Delhi

25. Kamla Mitra Chenoy, Professor, JNU

26. Kavita Srivastava, General Secretary, PUCL, Rajasthan

27. Kedar Mishra, poet, journalist, Orissa

28. Lalita Ramdas, peace activist, Alibag

29. Madhumita Ray, social activist, Orissa

30. Mahesh Bhatt, filmmaker, Mumbai

31. Manas Ranjan, social activist, Orissa

32. Mohd Azam Khan, activist, Hyderabad

33. Mushirul Hasan, Historian, Delhi

34. Nandita Das, Actor, Director and Activist, Delhi

35. Nasiruddin Shah, Actor, Bombay

36. Paul Divakar, National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights, Delhi

37. Prasad Chako, social activist, National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights, Ahmedabad

38. Prashant Paikray, social activist, Orissa

39. Prof KN Panikkar, Historian, Kerala

40. Prof Ramesh Dixit, Lucknow University, Lucknow

41. Prof Rooprekha Verma

42. Ram Vilas Paswan, President, Lok Jan Shakti Party

43. S Irfan Habib, Historian, Delhi

44. Saba Dewan, filmmaker, Delhi

45. Saeed Mirza, film director, writer, Mumbai, Goa

46. Sampad Mohapatra, journalist, Orissa

47. Sania Hashmi, filmmaker, Delhi

48. Seema Duhan, social activist, Orissa

49. Seema Mustafa, journalist, Delhi

50. Shabnam Hashmi, social activist, Anhad, Delhi

51. Sharmila Tagore, actress, Mumbai, Delhi

52. Sheba George, social activist, Director, Sahrwaru, Ahmedabad

53. Shubha Mudgal, artists, singer, Mumbai

54. Sohail Hashmi, filmmaker, writer, Delhi

55. Sonia Jabbar, filmmaker, Delhi

56. Subhash Gatade, columnist, writer, Delhi

57. Sukumar Muralidharan, Journalist, Delhi

58. T Haridas, Jansanskriti, Delhi

59. Utkarsh Sinha, activist, INSAF, Lucknow

60. Uttam Parmar, social activist, Surat

61. Vineet Tiwari, Progressive Writers ‘Association, Sandarbh, Indore

62. Vrinda Grover, advocate, Supreme Court

63. Zafar Agha, Editor, Jadeed Mail, Delhi

64. Zakia Soman, social activist, Bhartiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, Gujarat

MEDIA REPORT

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/gujarat-govt-withdraws-security-cover-of-ips-officer-who- deposed-against-modi/783206/

Gujarat govt withdraws security cover of IPS officer who deposed against Modi

Express news service

Posted: Fri Apr 29 2011, 00:36 hrs

Days after he submitted an affidavit in the Supreme Court to say Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi wanted “Muslims taught a lesson” for “the burning of kar sevaks at Godhra” in 2002, IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt’s security detail was withdrawn on the orders of the state Director General of Police. Instead of four guards, he will now have a lone policeman guarding him.

“There is no way I am going to allow this. My family needs to be protected,” Bhatt told The Indian Express, saying he was drafting a reply to the DGP.

Bhatt had been recommended Y-category security — it comprises a security team of 11, including seven armed guards outside the house — after police intelligence underlined the threat he faced in view of his disclosures to the Special Investigation Team probing the riots cases.

Since no decision had been taken on providing him Y-category cover, he had made his own security arrangement at his residence, using four men drawn from the SRP Training College where he is currently posted as Principal.