Political pressure in VHP cases: Ex-Intelligence chief

Sreekumar, who was additional Director-General of police (intelligence) when the state was rocked by violence in 2002, is now Additional D-G (Reforms).

Sreekumar told the commission that riots began to subside only after K P S Gill, who was made security adviser to the chief minister, intervened and had some police officers, including then Ahmedabad police commissioner P C Pande, transferred.

Sreekumar also said that the State Intelligence Bureau had received information from the Lucknow police on February 22, 2002, regarding the return of a group of karsevaks from Ayodhya.

This is in contrast with the statement of former DGP K. Chakravarthy, who told the commission that the Lucknow police had not informed Gujarat about the karsevaks’ return.

It also varies from what Sreekumar had stated in his own affidavit (filed on July 6, 2002). He had said in the affidavit that ‘‘though there were intelligence inputs pertaining to movement of karsevaks to Ayodhya from Gujarat, there was no specific information about their return.’’

The affidavit went on to say: ‘‘The only message sent about return of karsevaks by UP police received in Gujarat was on February 28, 2002’’— that is, a day after the Godhra carnage. On Tuesday, however, Sreekumar explained that the state IB did receive a fax message dated February 22, 2002, from the Lucknow SP about the return of a group of karsevaks who had gone to Ayodhya from Mehsana.

‘‘I know this as per records,’’ he said. ‘‘But I cannot say more on what action was taken on this report as I was not the official in charge. Only my predecessor can comment on it.’’

Sreekumar said he was appointed in charge of intelligence on April 9, 2002, and just nine days after that (on April 18), he had cautioned police officers that there is the possibility of fundamentalist and militant groups targeting religious and cultural places in Gujarat.