87 Facts About Sanjiv Bhatt

Sanjiv Bhatt is a former Indian Police Service officer of the Gujarat-cadre.

Sanjiv Bhatt is known for his role in filing an affidavit in the Supreme Court of India against the then Chief Minister of the Government of Gujarat, Narendra Modi, concerning Modi's alleged role in the 2002 Gujarat riots.

Sanjiv Bhatt claimed to have attended a meeting, during which Modi allegedly asked top police officials to let Hindus vent their anger against the Muslims.

However, the Special Investigation Team appointed by the Supreme Court of India concluded that Bhatt did not attend any such meeting, and dismissed his allegations.

In 2015, Sanjiv Bhatt was removed from the police service, on the grounds of "unauthorised absence".

The court observed that, "Sanjiv Bhatt was in active touch with leaders of rival political parties, was being tutored by NGOs, was involved in politics and activism of creating pressure, even upon 3-judge bench of this court, amicus and many others".

Sanjiv Bhatt earned an MTech degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay in 1985.

Sanjiv Bhatt joined the Indian Police Service in 1988, and was allotted the Gujarat cadre.

Sanjiv Bhatt's brother lodged an FIR against Bhatt and six other policemen, alleging that he had been tortured in police custody.

The Bar association members have alleged that Sanjiv Bhatt got himself appointed the Gujarat government's officer in-charge for the special appeal petition pending in the SC.

Sanjiv Bhatt was accused in another custodial torture case in 1998.

Sanjiv Bhatt was responsible for looking after the state's internal security, border and coastal security, and security of vital installations.

Sanjiv Bhatt was responsible for the Chief Minister Narendra Modi's security.

Sanjiv Bhatt was posted as principal of the State Reserve Police Training College.

In 2003, Sanjiv Bhatt was posted as the superintendent of Sabarmati central jail.

Sanjiv Bhatt introduced desserts like gajar ka halwa on the jail menu.

Sanjiv Bhatt posted undertrials in Godhra train burning case on a jail committee.

However, Sanjiv Bhatt had stayed at the SP level for a decade without any promotion, because of the pending criminal cases and departmental inquiries against him.

Pandya had named several police officials who attended this meeting; Sanjiv Bhatt was not among these.

On 14 April 2011,9 years after the riots, Sanjiv Bhatt filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court of India, making similar allegations.

Sanjiv Bhatt said that the meeting determined to bring the bodies of the Hindu pilgrims to Ahmedabad before cremation and that he had cautioned against this, fearing religious violence.

Sanjiv Bhatt says that he sent some fax messages to major officials soon after the meeting ended and that these referred to the meeting itself, the decision regarding the bodies of the dead and the growing activity of the BJP and Bajrang Dal.

Sanjiv Bhatt claimed that he had travelled to Modi's residence in the official car of K Chakravarthi, which was being driven by Tarachand Yadav; Bhatt's driver Constable KD Panth followed them in Bhatt's official car.

Sanjiv Bhatt's affidavit was signed by KD Panth, whose statement supported Sanjiv Bhatt's presence at the alleged meeting.

On 24 June 2011, Panth filed an FIR against Sanjiv Bhatt, alleging that Sanjiv Bhatt had threatened him and forced him to sign a false affidavit.

Sanjiv Bhatt further alleged that Modhwadia asked him to obey Bhatt.

However, Tarachand Yadav supported Sanjiv Bhatt, stating that he had driven Sanjiv Bhatt to Modi's bungalow, and that Panth had been with them.

Sanjiv Bhatt supported Bhatt's claim that he travelled there with Chakravarthy.

When questioned why he had not made these revelations earlier, Sanjiv Bhatt stated that in 2004, he "started sending out feelers" that he wanted to be cross-examined by the Nanavati Commission, but the commission had not called him.

In May 2011, Sanjiv Bhatt repeated the allegations made in his affidavit when he was called to give evidence to the NMC.

Sanjiv Bhatt again requested this information in December 2011, claiming that it was needed so that it could be placed on the official record.

Sanjiv Bhatt petitioned the Court, alleging criminal conspiracy, a "deliberate and intentional failure" to protect life and property, and failure to fulfil their constitutional duty.

Sanjiv Bhatt presented evidence to this particular SIT investigation in 2009.

Sanjiv Bhatt alleged that a mole in SIT leaked information to the Modi Government, through Gujarat's additional advocate general Tushar Mehta.

Mehta and Sanjiv Bhatt were good friends since the 1980s, until 2010.

Sanjiv Bhatt's report was confidential but prompted the Court to order the SIT to conduct a self-review.

In June 2011, Sanjiv Bhatt filed a Public-interest litigation in the Supreme Court, calling for an independent agency to investigate the riots or, alternatively, for the case to be transferred outside Gujarat.

Sanjiv Bhatt alleged that his emails had been hacked and filed a complaint against the state alleging that they had been leaked from the SIT.

On 8 August 2011, the Gujarat government suspended Sanjiv Bhatt, accusing him of unauthorised absence from duty, not appearing before an inquiry committee and using his official car while not on duty.

On 27 September 2011, Sanjiv Bhatt appeared before the Gujarat High Court in the police atrocity case against him in Jamnagar district.

Sanjiv Bhatt claimed that while posted as Superintendent of the Sabarmati Jail in 2003, he had met Asgar Ali, an accused in the Haren Pandya murder case.

Sanjiv Bhatt claimed that he had immediately informed Home Minister Amit Shah about this revelation, but Shah asked him to destroy all documentary evidence related to this matter.

Sanjiv Bhatt claimed that he had been removed as the Jail Superintendent because he had refused to obey Shah.

On 30 September 2011, Sanjiv Bhatt was arrested, following an investigation into KD Panth's FIR.

Sanjiv Bhatt alleged that Panth was following "diktats" from the Modi government, an allegation denied by Panth.

Sanjiv Bhatt's arrest was condemned by the Congress leaders and human rights activists, who accused the Modi government of persecuting Sanjiv Bhatt.

Sanjiv Bhatt has referred to being harassed by members of the Gujarat police.

On 17 October 2011, Sanjiv Bhatt was granted bail by a local court in Ahmedabad, on condition that he continue to cooperate with investigations into the allegations laid against him.

The Supreme Court suspended the case in April 2012, with Sanjiv Bhatt arguing that the arrest was "politically motivated".

Sanjiv Bhatt was among those who refused to accept an award offered by the Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar Academy in 2011.

In January 2012, the SIT demanded the original copy of the fax messages that Sanjiv Bhatt claimed to have sent after the 2002 meeting and which, according to Sanjiv Bhatt, substantiated his presence at the meeting.

Sanjiv Bhatt said that he had already provided the evidence in 2009 and again in 2011.

Sanjiv Bhatt noted that the SIT could get the information from the SIB records, and he claimed that the SIT was failing to interview police officials who could testify to his movements on the night in question.

Sanjiv Bhatt has produced evidence of police inaction to SIT chairman along with a letter which had details of deployment of police, SRP and RAF in the state, areas under curfew, types of crimes committed during the riots, etc.

Sanjiv Bhatt complained that Ahmedabad police commissioner P C Pandey was alerted on the same.

In February 2012, Sanjiv Bhatt accused the SIT of destroying evidence in collusion with the Gujarat government.

Sanjiv Bhatt claimed before the panel that Modi was want only giving misleading answers and unfortunately the investigation officer didn't contradict him with all evidences that were available at his disposal.

Sanjiv Bhatt suggested in March 2012 that the final report of the NMC should be submitted to the governor of Gujarat rather than to its chief minister, Modi.

Sanjiv Bhatt thought that the earlier NMC report, which concerned the Godhra train incident and had been produced in 2008, should be recalled from the chief minister and presented instead to the governor.

Sanjiv Bhatt criticised the earlier report, in which the NMC had exonerated Modi of any wrongdoing in relation to the riots.

Sanjiv Bhatt believed that the NMC lacked the official authority to make such a statement.

Sanjiv Bhatt criticised the failure of the NMC to summon Modi to appear before it, and a few days later he requested that Modi should be summoned on the basis of an affidavit that had been filed with the commission by the late Amarsinh Chaudhary, a former Gujarat Chief Minister, in 2002.

Sanjiv Bhatt claimed that the affidavit showed that Chaudhary had met with Modi during the period of the riots because he was concerned about reports of events in the Gulbarg Society, including the situation of Ehsan Zafri.

Sanjiv Bhatt had filed a plea before the Supreme Court seeking a special investigative probe into two First Information Reports filed against him by the Gujarat Police.

The court said Sanjiv Bhatt had invoked the provisions of TADA during his tenure.

At a convention marking the tenth anniversary of the Godhra, Sanjiv Bhatt said that he is unable to see any justice for the victims of riots.

Sanjiv Bhatt was issued summon by National Commission for Minorities along with other retired and serving police officers of Gujarat to testify the role of Modi to bring out the truth of 27 February 2002 meeting which held at Modi's home.

Sanjiv Bhatt contacted Pratibha Patil, the Indian President, in April 2012.

Sanjiv Bhatt has requested the centre to appoint two member commission to enquire the role and conduct of Modi, his officials and police officers in the Godhra massacre.

Sanjiv Bhatt demanded an investigation into the government's measures on the rehabilitation for victims.

The documents revealed that the SIT believed that Sanjiv Bhatt had not been present at the meeting and that this was supported both by statements from those who had been present and by analysis of Sanjiv Bhatt's telephone records, which suggested that he was in Ahmedabad at the time.

The SIT found that the fax message that Sanjiv Bhatt claimed to have sent never existed and he concocted it later and the signatures of his superior officers were forged.

Sanjiv Bhatt queried how the SIT could rely on the testimony of witnesses who were present at the meeting when the investigation had itself raised doubts concerning their credibility, and he provided a rationale that could explain Bhatt's presence despite his relatively low rank.

Sanjiv Bhatt disputed the SIT conclusions regarding the telephone records analysis and said that the matter of presence needed to be tested in court because the evidence available was insufficient to discount Bhatt's claim.

Sanjiv Bhatt had claimed that there were two meetings on the day in question, at different times.

Ramachandran accepted that Sanjiv Bhatt had not acted in a manner consistent with his official duties but noted that.

Shweta Sanjiv Bhatt contested unsuccessfully against Modi in the 2012 state assembly elections.

Sanjiv Bhatt criticised the published SIT report on the Godhra attack, claiming that the SIT was shielding Modi.

Besides his deposition before NCM, Sanjiv Bhatt has filed an affidavit in National Commission of Minorities.

At the time of filing his Supreme Court affidavit in April 2011, Sanjiv Bhatt requested the Court for protection and the Gujarat government assured the Supreme Court that it would provide personal safety arrangements.

Sanjiv Bhatt requested that the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of India intervene to ensure that both he and his family were protected.

Sanjiv Bhatt had been provided with two personal guards but considered this to be insufficient.

Sanjiv Bhatt repeated his demands in February 2012, when he raised objections on personal safety grounds to a request from the Gujarat police that he should return his service revolver.

In November 2013 Sanjiv Bhatt alleged that city police was not providing him adequate security, and there was an increased threat to his and his family members' lives from the "right-wing fundamentalists and the supporters of Narendra Modi".

The office of Commissioner of Police Shivanand Jha said that after the assessment of threat perception, it was decided that Sanjiv Bhatt should be provided with two armed personal security officers.

However, Sanjiv Bhatt wrote to the commissioner, saying that he was being "provided with only one armed PSO".

Sanjiv Bhatt was removed from the IPS on 19 August 2015 on the grounds of "unauthorised absence".