8 years of Modi bravado tested in 9 hrs with SIT

GANDHINAGAR: Despite the day-after bravado, the nine-hour grilling of chief minister Narendra Modi on Saturday by the Special Investigating Team (SIT) appears to have humbled the man who has been trying hard to project himself as a mascot for development and inclusive politics. On Sunday, SIT chief R K Raghavan said further questioning of Modi could not be ruled out.

From the time Modi went in for the second session a little before 9pm on Saturday, waving confidently at reporters and his white kurta and churidar only slightly creased, to the time he emerged from SIT office at 1.10am on Sunday, much of the sheen was gone.

Modi was treated like any other accused being interrogated in a preliminary inquiry under the direct supervision of the Supreme Court to decide whether an FIR should be filed against him or not.

He was questioned on a range of issues beginning with the intelligence failure on the kar sevaks returning from Ayodhya, how this could have led to the burning of the train at Godhra, the post-Godhra killings, and why the police failed to act, right up to his incendiary speeches during the elections of December 2002.

He was also asked whether he gave specific instructions to police chiefs and bureaucrats who have been quoted as saying they got such orders – to allow Hindus to vent their anger after the train burning in which 59 people, mainly kar sevaks, were killed. SIT has evidence to the effect that Modi had specifically instructed that the bodies of carnage victims be brought to Ahmedabad. Modi reportedly denied all the charges.