Trial court orders probe team to investigate role of four cops on basis of phone call records.
Designated court judge, Jyotsna Yagnik, who is hearing the Naroda Patia massacre case has asked the Supreme Court-appointed special investigation team (SIT) to further probe the role of four senior police officers in the communal riots of 2002.
Last week, the victims had sought further investigation into the role of the following four police officers - former Ahmedabad police commissioner and Gujarat DGP PC Pande; the then Naroda police inspector KK Mysorewala; DCP (Zone IV) PB Gondia; and the then JCP (Sector-2) MK Tandon (now retired).
In their testimonies before the court, several witnesses had accused these police officers of having played a dubious role during the riots.
While directing the SIT to further probe the role of the four police officers, the court said that the role of the officers had to be examined in the "larger interest of justice".
The court directed the SIT to further investigate the role of the four police officers on the basis of phone call records provided by some victims.
The riot victims had prayed to the court last week that the four police officers be made accused in the case as they were allegedly part of the conspiracy that had led to inaction by the police during the communal violence.
The victims have alleged that these police officers had played a key role in the criminal conspiracy which they had allegedly hatched with some of the accused in the case, including former minister and MLA from Naroda and some local BJP leaders.
The victims have also alleged that as the case had been pending in the Supreme Court since May 2002, senior officers of Gujarat police have destroyed records of the police control room.
The court directed the SIT to look into the evidence provided by the victims and investigate their role further if it had not been done so far.
In reply, special public prosecutor Akhil Desai submitted that the SIT would further investigate the phone call details of certain officers. He said the SIT would not hesitate to look into the clues provided by the victims.
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