Nanavati Commission to quiz former Guj minister

The Nanavati Commission, probing the 2002 riots, has summoned former Gujarat minister and currently spokesperson of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party I K Jadeja on September 5 for questioning.

Jadeja would be the second minister of the then Narendra Modi-led BJP government to be questioned as a witness by the commission.

The Commission had last year questioned the then minister of state for Home Gordhan Zadafia with regard to the Godhra train burning incident and the communal riots that followed, where over 1000 persons were killed.

Zadafia has now parted ways with the BJP and has floated his own party Mahagujarat Janta Party. During the 2002 riots, Jadeja was minister in the Modi government incharge of Urban Development.

Zadafia was questioned on November 19 for over one and a half hours by retired justice G T Nanavati and retired Justice Akshay Mehta of the Commission.

The Commission had later told the Gujarat High Court that it had not called Zadafia as a witness nor it intended  to gather evidence from him and that he was called under section 4 of the Commission of Inquiry Act, which is to question somebody for gathering information on the incident  under question.