Sreekumar and Teesta were tutoring witnesses: SIT to Ahmedabad court

Ahmedabad, July 26: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has filed an additional report before the Additional Civil and Sessions judge of the Ahmedabad Court stating that former Gujarat Director General of Police, R.B. Sreekumar along with social activist Teesta Setalvad were allegedly tutoring witnesses in connection with the 2002 Godhra riots case.

The SIT on Monday while opposing Sreekumar's bail application said, "The applicant (Sreekumar) was a party to conspiracy and was also involved himself in tutoring witnesses. A witness has stated before the Nanavati Commission that I am saying what Teesta and Sreekumar told us to say."

The central investigating team has also submitted to the Court that it should not take the register maintained by Sreekumar as an official minutes or information of the state of police department because the latter had not mentioned anything about the said register in his first two affidavits submitted before the Nanavati Commission.

The former Gujarat DGP had for the first time mentioned about the said register in his third affidavit submitted on April 9, 2005 which is alleged to be "motivated and with malafide intention".

Earlier, opposing the bail applications of both social activist Teesta Setalvad and former top police officer Sreekumar, the SIT had submitted that applicants (Teesta and Sreekumar) had conspired to defame the Gujarat government and see that the then state Chief Minister Narendra Modi was booked and harassed.

The larger conspiracy in connection with the 2002 Godhra riots was hatched on behest of Congress Rajya Sabha member and the party's National President Sonia Gandhi's political advisor Ahmed Patel. Both Teesta and Sreekumar had met Patel.