Bhatt had moved an application asking for access to certain documents related to the happenings and police responses in 2002 from the state government.
Ignoring Gujarat government's objections, the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) on Monday heard IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, who had implicated Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the 2002 post-Godhra riots.
Bhatt, who was summoned by the NCM on a petition seeking recording of the versions of certain police officers citing the alleged destruction of evidence related to riots, moved an application asking for access to certain documents related to the happenings and police responses in 2002 from the state government.
Acting on a petition filed by Niyazbibi, a resident of Juhapura in Ahmedabad, the NCM had summoned IPS officers Bhatt, Rahul Sharma and R B Sreekumar, who had taken on the Modi government for its alleged role during the riots.
While Bhatt appeared before the commission, the other officers are learnt to have sought a later date for hearing.
The Gujarat Government, through its council Debang Vyas, asked the Commission not to hear the matter as the case was already being investigated.
Sources said that despite the state government's argument, the Commission felt that it could still go ahead with the hearing and that it was well within its rights in doing so.
Bhatt told reporters that he had been summoned by the Commission over Niyazbibi's petition and that he had put forth an application for access to some documents from Gujarat government.
"I have told the Commission certain things and also moved an application for access to certain documents related to the happenings and police responses in 2002 from the state government," Bhatt said.
In her petition to the Commission, Niyazbibi had written that there were disturbing reports regarding the destruction of evidence related to the riots and certain police officers could shed light on the happenings.
"In view of the highly disturbing reports about the deliberate disregard and destruction of evidence, we request you to summon very crucial serving and retired police officers from the Gujarat police with a view to obtain crucial evidence from them," Niyazbibi had written to the Commission.
Based on reports from newspapers, Niyazbibi's petition had urged the Commission to "summon and record the evidence of IPS officers RB Sreekumar, Rahul Sharma and Sanjiv Bhatt".
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