Friday, August 31, 2012

Riots: SIT stint ends for top cop Modi

The police officer who probed three of the nine key cases of post-Godhra riots as part of the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) ended his stint with the probe panel on Sunday.
As part of SIT, Y C Modi, an IPS officer from Meghalaya cadre, investigated the killings at Gulberg Society, Naroda Patiya and Naroda Gam. All three cases are now with trial courts and verdicts are expected soon.
Modi was formerly in the CBI team that investigated the 2003 Haren Pandya murder case. He was on deputation to SIT, which was formed by the SC to investigate nine 2002 riots cases. Verdicts in four of these have already come.
Modi, an inspector general of police, was included in the SIT in August 2010 following the exit of two Gujarat Police officers, Shivanand Jha and Geetha Johri. The SC dropped Jha since he was among those named in Zakia Jafri’s complaint. Johri quit after the SC indicted her in the Sohrabuddin encounter case.
“Modi’s term ended on Sunday following which we have intimated the Supreme Court. He has been relieved conditionally as it is up to the court to take a final decision,” said SIT counsel R S Jamuar.
On the other hand, the SIT has demanded extension for one of its members, DIG K Ventakeshwar, whose term also ended last week. According to Jamuar, the extension has been granted.
According to SIT sources, since investigation into most of the rioting cases are over and cases are with trial courts, there was no need for replacements. The nine cases of 2002 riots probed by SIT are that of Naroda Patiya, Naroda Gam, Gulberg Society, Ode (two cases), Dipda Darwaja, Sardarpura, Prantij and Godhra train carnage.
Verdicts have been announced in Godhra train carnage and Sardarpura killings, besides the two cases in Ode.
Judgment in the Naroda Patiya case is slated to be announced on August 29.