SC sends cops running for cover

The Supreme Court8217;s order to review more than 2,000 post-Godhra riot cases is giving the Gujarat police sleepless nights. The buck is o...

The Supreme Court8217;s order to review more than 2,000 post-Godhra riot cases is giving the Gujarat police sleepless nights. The buck is only just beginning to go around and junior officers believe the 8216;8216;review8217;8217; will soon turn into head-hunting.

The panic began after the office of the DGP sent out messages on Thursday, ordering the review of cases. Officers are now coming up with all sorts of explanations and excuses.

8216;8216;Everyone is busy finding out who investigated the cases and where they are posted now,8217;8217; says an officer. 8216;8216;Since new officers will be investigating the cases, if they are reopened, there will be a lot of finger-pointing. That8217;s the main worry of juniors.8217;8217; Those who were district police chiefs when the cases were filed or closed are already blaming their deputies.

B.D. Vaghela, SP of Anand during the riots, says: 8216;8216;It is the responsibility of deputy superintendents to consider the merits of a case, file summaries, and apply for court approvals. I have nothing to do with it.8217;8217;

Many officers are suddenly keen to find out if any victim or witness has sent letters or applications to police stations, either naming rioters or expressing desire to make statements. 8216;8216;Our prime concern at that time during the riots was maintaining law and order and providing protection. Priority was to provide relief,8217;8217; says D.R. Patel, the Sabarkantha police chief. 8216;8216;Obviously some things have been done hastily. God knows what will happen now.8217;8217;

But Patel, too, says that it8217;s deputy superintendents of police who had dealt with cases that were closed. 8216;8216;Our defence can be that witnesses lied either out of fear or undue intimidation. We can say the atmosphere was not conducive for investigation as witnesses were away in relief camps. We could say they were in fear and could not remember facts correctly. Also that we were busy with bandobast for visiting VIPs or maintaining law and order,8217;8217; says an officer.

Raju Bhargav, former police chief of the Panchmahals, hits the nail on the head: 8216;8216;The most important factor is whether evidence that may be found now 8212; if a case is opened 8212; was available then. If that is true, the investigator is in trouble.8217;8217;

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But Vadodara Police Commissioner Sudhir Sinha says only the rarest of rare cases is likely to be opened. 8216;8216;If witnesses have named a person but he8217;s not been arrested, or if there8217;s a glaring lapse, the cases could be opened,8217;8217; he says. 8216;8216;Yes, officers can also have problems if witnesses do a Zahira.8217;8217;

DGP in-charge A.K. Bhargav, however, denies there8217;s panic: 8216;8216;Khalbhali to nahi machi hai ab tak8230; but officers who have done wrong will be worrying.8217;8217;