Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi failed to appear before Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT). It was disappointing to the relatives of 2,000 innocent men, women and children, who lost their lives in Gujarat massacre in February 2002. Their long wait for justice will continue, nobody knows how long.
It was the most horrible carnage of innocents abetted by the official and the law and order enforcing machineries of a State which was under Modi and reportedly had his blessings.
Modi succeeded in tightening his grip over Chief Minister’s seat not once or twice but thrice. He could do that by communalising minds and polarising votes. Blood of innocent is clearly on his hands. Power and pelf do not remain with anybody for ever. The hands which are stained with the blood of the innocents cannot be washed even by all the perfumes of Arabia, even if they fill the seven seas. It is unfortunate that in spite of passing of eight long years yet the long hands of justice have not reached the necks of the culprits. Now the wait of justice has turned into wait for Modi, who is alleged to be the chief abetter, if not the chief architect, of the infamous carnage. The Supreme Court is watching, SIT is acting, and the victims are waiting. Let the world also wait and see whether the culprits are punished in this world or will get their due only in the Hereafter.
Why Modi avoided the appearance, only he can explain. What is to be seen is how long he can dodge the summons. But propriety demands that if his hands are clean, he should have appeared and faced the queries otherwise it would be correct on the part of people to assume that crimes make cowards of people rendering them unable to face courts of law.
He must explain what his role in the carnage was and what instructions he had given to police. He should also explain why the massacre was not condemned by him even once. He should clarify why he did not respond to the phone calls of freedom fighter and former Congress MP Ehsan Jaffery, who was mercilessly done to death along with scores of people who had taken refuge in Gulberg Society. He should explain what he was doing when Ahmedabad was burning under his very nose.
In a Press conference on February 28, 2002, he had said that “with the entire people of Gujarat very angry at what happened in Godhra much more was expected”. Was he not encouraging the murderers by this statement? He should further explain why he justified the massacre by saying on March 2, 2002 that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Modi has sprinkled salt on the wounds of victims who had taken refuge in the relief camps by saying that “the relief camps are actually child making factories. Those who keep on multiplying the population should be taught a lesson.”
This is time for Modi to explain his words and deeds. Let him come forward. The time for reckoning has come.