Snooping row: ‘If govt protecting her,why does Shah say don’t let her escape?’

Congress cited excerpts from the purported conversation between Amit Shah and GL Singhal.

In the latest development in the Gujarat snooping row,the Congress has cited excerpts from the purported conversation between Amit Shah and Gujarat police officer G L Singhal to counter claims made by Pranlal Soni that his daughter was “fully aware” of the “help” provided by Narendra Modi’s government,and that there was “no encroachment of her privacy” as a result of the surveillance mounted on her.

Soni,the father of the woman who was allegedly snooped on by Modi’s government in 2009,has written to the national and Gujarat women’s commissions urging them not to probe the matter. NCW member Nirmala Samant Prabhavalkar said on Wednesday: “It seems to be a case of surveillance,not only on her but also on her relatives and friends. It is prima facie a case of stalking and keeping a track of her on a day-to-day basis.”

Prabhavalkar said Soni should “show his face” to the NCW. “We have received the letter from her so-called father. It did not have any email address,telephone or mobile number. It was given to a security guard at the gate of the NCW office. If it is a family matter and he wants to put an end to the debate,he should have absolutely no problem coming forward and talking to us. He should show his face. We have written to the Kutch postal address in the letter and given him seven days’ time,” Prabhavalkar said.

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The president of the Congress’s women’s wing,Shobha Oza,pointed out that the purported conversation included words like “trap” and (not letting her) “escape”. “It is a clear case of stalking. If the policemen had been providing her security,they would have been with her,not following her whereever she went,” Oza said.

The word “escape” figures four times,and “trap” once in the purported conversation in Gujarati,which was translated into English by Cobrapost and Gulail. The two news portals,which released the tape and the transcripts,said they had “no means to independently verify these charges”.

Excerpts:

Amit Shah: And where is the lady?

GL Singhal: She is sitting at Navrangpura near Have More.

Shah: With that boy only?… I want him in jail for as many days as Vanjara has been jailed for.

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Shah: …Ask him in advance the hotel’s name… In case she escapes,we can keep a vigil…

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Singhal: We have deployed men at hotel… There are two doors and men deployed at both the doors…

Shah: They should not escape in closed car.

Singhal: Sir our men have reached there. No movement reported as yet… Actually we also tried to lay a trap at night pretending to be calling from a travel agency… That girl is so clever that when she was returning from the airport someone gave her a missed call then she called back on that number and started asking who has called. But it was told that it was a public booth. She started asking who had called and how was his/her appearance.

***

Singhal: Sir she reached hotel in Santro car.

Shah: Take the number of Santro… What about that man?… Weren’t they followed from the hotel?… How many persons are deployed there?… Arrange something different in morning,they should not escape.

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Shah: I am not able to see on my phone… Keep proper watch,should not escape. And ask Asari whether that man is still in Bhavnagar.