Sanjiv Bhatt demands adequate security from Gujarat govt

Citing "manifold" rise in security threats to him and family members, suspended Indian Police Service officer Sanjiv Bhatt on Tuesday sought "foolproof" security for himself and his family members from the Gujarat government.

In a letter to Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Varesh Sinha, Bhatt has also urged to restrict measures aimed at dispossessing him of the service weapons duly issued to him as a member of the IPS.

"Despite the assurance given by the State of Gujarat to the Supreme Court of India, on May 5, 2011, during the hearing of SLP (Criminal) 1088 of 2008, I and my family members are yet to be provided adequate and fool-proof security cover," Bhatt claimed in his letter. He said that after repeated requests he was provided with only one police security officer for his protection and one armed sentry at his residence.

"The existing arrangements for my security as well as the safety of my family are neither adequate nor foolproof. The threat to my family and me has increased manifold after I filed a writ petition (criminal) 135 of 2011 and writ petition (criminal) 204 of 2011 before the Supreme Court," he said.

"The evidence brought out in the said petitions has evoked very strong feelings of antipathy and hatred towards me in the minds of the right wing fundamentalists and the supporters/idolaters of Narendra Modi, the chief minister of Gujarat," Bhatt added.

Bhatt said the security threat was increasing each passing day since he is a crucial witness against Narendra Modi and other influential persons in the Gulburg Society riot case as well as in the complaint filed by Zakia Ehsan Jaffery against the chief minister and 62 others. He had also demanded a bulletproof car with an escort vehicle along with a nodal officer to coordinate his security as he has to travel to different parts of the state in connection with the court hearings. "These requests have been disregard by the Home department," he added.

With regard to the service weapon, Bhatt said, "In repeated blatant acts which amount to attempts at jeopardising my security, the agencies under your control have time and again sought to deprive me even of the weapons and ammunition duly issued to me as an officer of the Indian Police Service,"

"You are requested to restrain in-charge DGP Chitranjan Singh, and IG (Intelligence) A K Sharma, from initiating or continuing with any irregular and unlawful coercive measures aimed at irreparably jeopardising my security by dispossessing me of service weapons," Bhatt demanded. These mala fide actions are inspired by ulterior motives and therefore, are required to be terminated with immediate effect, he added.

Bhatt further claimed that putting his safety intoperil would not only amount to wilful abdication of an obligatory duty cast upon the State, but would also tantamount to intentionally misleading and dishonouring an assurance given to the apex court.

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