43been convicted by the Jamnagar Sessions court
to life imprisonment on 20th June 2019. He was
implicated in a custodial death case dating back
to 1990 when he was Additional Superintendent
of Police. The arrest and conviction of Bhatt on
concocted charges is a telling commentary on
how the ruling establishment is resorting to all
coercive and illegal measures to cover-up its role
in the communal pogroms of 2002.
Gujarat police have been harassing Sanjeev Bhatt’s
family ever since he deposed before the Justice
Nanavati and Justice Mehta commissions during
May-July 2011, revealing the criminal complic-
ity of Narendra Modi and his administration in
the Gujarat massacres and subsequent cover-up
operations. Sanjeev Bhatt, who was working as
Deputy Commissioner in-charge of internal se-
curity with the State Intelligence Bureau during
the time of Riots in 2002, was summoned by the
Special Investigation Team appointed by the Su-
preme Court in 2009 and again in 2011. He had
revealed very crucial details regarding the role of
the State administration, including that of Chief
Minister Narendra Modi in the orchestration of
gruesome violence against minorities. Sanjeev
Bhatt has gone on record and wrote many times
to the SIT Chief Shri. R K Raghavan and to Ad-
ditional Chief Secretary (Home) that the infor-
mation he had revealed in front of SIT has been
leaked. However, none of the said letters was re-
plied.
Sanjeev Bhatt filed a Writ Petition before the Su-
preme Court praying for transfer of investigation
alleging that the State Government is misusing its
official machinery to cover up its complicity and
scuttle some of the major ongoing investigations
and trials to save the accused persons. Sanjeev
Bhatt had told the truth about the connivance of
the Chief Minister and the state administration
in the communal violence. Bhatt was dismissed
from service in 2015 following suspension for
the relatively minor wrongdoing of a few days of
unauthorised leave of absence in 2011 when he
was deposing before the Justice Nanavati Com-
mission. The hounding of Sanjeev Bhatt is a reve-
lation of the dismal state of the institutions which
should deliver justice and the collapse of the in-
tegrity of the institutions like investigating agen-
cies, courts and media. Police officers like Van-
zara and Amin, accused of infamous encounter
killings walked out free in May 2019. The state
did not permit to prosecute them, and the case
was discharged by CBI court. The state has not
permitted to prosecute Sanjeev Bhatt too, but he
has been convicted.The fight put up by Sanjeev and Shweta Bhatt is
one which requires immense courage and sup-
port. An officer and his family are being victim-
ised for being on the side of justice and truth. It is
a pity that judiciary is not able to prevent the bias
in our police system against minorities and those
who stand up for the rights of the marginalised
sections. Democratic Youth Federation of India
(DYFI) will be organizing a national convention
in Mumbai in July against victimization of offic-
ers and activists. In the days to come, the organi-
sation will galvanise the secular collectives across
the nation on this crucial question of victimizing
upright government personnel discharging their
constitutional duties.Sanjeev BhattStudent Struggle | June - July 2019