Teesta Setalvad: Treat Tehelka tapes as confession

Activist Teesta Setalvad on Monday released the tapes of Operation Kalank, a sting operation by Tehelka on the perpetrators of the Gujarat riots of 2002.

She urged the Supreme Court to consider statements accusing Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi of a role in the riots, as extra-judicial confessions, and make Modi an accused. Several victims and kin of the riot victims, who were present at the press conference, joined in her demand.

The tape consists of confessions made by nine people who are currently accused in different riots cases - including Babu Bajrangi (Patel), VHP leaders Rajendra Vyas, Dhaval Patel and former Godhra MLA Haresh Bhatt. Excerpts from these tapes, which were aired by the news channel Aaj Tak in 2007 before the SIT was formed, were also distributed among the media persons.

The tapes (and their transcripts) show the accused talking in great detail about Modi’s alleged role in the communal riots. Among other things, the tapes show some accused giving Modi the credit for coming up with the idea of a ‘retaliatory attack’ for the Godhra train tragedy in which 57 kar sevaks were killed.