Islamist propagandist and fake news peddler Sadaf Afreen on X (formerly Twitter) recently posted a tweet attempting to portray former IPS officer Sanjeev Bhatt as a hero. In her tweet, she claimed,, “Former IPS Sanjeev Bhatt is in jail because of his honesty! He raised questions on the government, that’s why he is in jail! He did not bow before the government, that is why he is in jail! He was not afraid of big leaders, he faced them eye to eye, that is why he is in jail! But nowadays some senior officers change the rates out of fear!”
Her tweet (archived link) seeks to glorify Sanjiv Bhatt, who is currently facing multiple charges. One of the major cases pertains to his involvement in a custodial death that occurred during his tenure as Additional Superintendent of Police in Gujarat in 1990. Apart from this, other allegations include implicating a lawyer in a narcotics case in 1996 to settle personal scores and falsely implicating the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the 2002 riots by forging documents.
https://twitter.com/s_afreen7/status/1750398219606233516?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Australian senator, David Shoebridge (archived link) sharing pictures with the daughter of Sanjiv Bhatt wrote, “Sanjiv has been imprisoned for life for telling the truth about the role of Indian PM Narendra Modi in the dreadful 2002 Gujarat riots.”
The leftist ecosystem has made Sanjeev Bhatt a hero and a victim of the government and the justice system. However, in our fact checking report today, we aim to analyze the serious criminal acts committed by him.
The case of Vaishnani’s custodial death involving Sanjeev Bhatt, who was then serving as Additional Superintendent of Police in Gujarat dates back to 1990. The case revolves around the death of Prabhudas Madhavji Vaishnani, who was arrested during the communal riots in Jamnagar. Bhatt was accused of using third degree torture on Vaishnani, resulting in custodial death.
On October 30, 1990, communal riots broke out in the Jamnagar district of India following calls for a Bharat bandh by the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. The riots were in response to a call for a “bandh” to stop BJP leader L K Advani’s “rath yatra” for the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya.
According to Live Law report, Bhatt, along with other officials, arrested 133 people, including Vaishnani, for their alleged role in the riots. Vaishnani was detained for nine days and died ten days after being released on bail. The cause of death was kidney failure.
Following Vaishnani’s death, a First Information Report (FIR) was filed against Sanjiv Bhatt and other officers on charges of custodial torture.
Records stated that Vaishnani was brutally beaten up during the custody who, later, succumbed to injuries. Vaishnani’s brother had lodged a complaint against Bhatt and five other policemen. The magistrate took cognizance of the case in 1995. However, the hearing did not take place as it remained on hold until 2011. Later, the trial started in 2016.
Furthermore, as per The Hindu report, a Session Court in the district of Jamnagar, sentenced Sanjiv Bhatt, along with the constable Pravinsihn Zala under the IPC section 302 (murder) to life imprisonment. The court also convicted five other policemen – sub-inspectors Dipak Shah and Sailesh Pandya, and constables Pravinsih Jadeja, Anopsinh Jethva and Keshubha Jadeja – and sentenced them to two years in prison.
The five other policemen sub-inspectors Dipak Shah and Sailesh Pandya, and constables Pravinsih Jadeja, Anopsinh Jethva and Keshubha Jadeja were also convicted and sentenced them to two years in prison.
Recently, Sanjiv Bhatt filed a plea challenging his conviction and life time in the Gujarat High court which got rejected.
On September 5, 2018, Bhatt was arrested along with his deputy IB Vyas following a Gujarat High Court order for allegedly planting drugs on a lawyer in 1996.
The Indian Express report states that the case dates back to 1996, When Bhatt was posted at SP, Banaskantha District in 1996 a lawyer Sumer Singh Rajpurohit was arrested in an opium peddling case. According to the police, information was received through an unknown caller. During the raid, contraband was recovered and Rajpurohit was arrested from a room at Lajwanti City Hotel in Palanpur under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.
The Supreme Court Criminal Appeal Report “ZAKIA AHSAN JAFRI vs STATE OF GUJARAT & ANR.” reveals that following Rajpurohit arrests he gave a statement that the banned substance was planted by Bhatt, after which a case was registered against 20 people including Bhatt. A criminal case was registered against Shri Sanjiv Bhatt & others under 195, 196, 342, 347, 357, 365, 388, 458, 482 IPC and Sec. 58(1) & 58(2) of NDPS Act.
Furthermore, following the allegations against Bhatt, it was found that Sanjiv Bhatt and his subordinates allegedly planted 1 1/2 kg of Narcotic drug in one room in a hotel at Palanpur, Gujarat, which was shown as occupied by the said complainant, though the complainant was in Pali (Rajasthan) at that time. Rajpurohit was kidnapped from his home at midnight, and was booked under fake narcotics case.
Investigation revealed that while in the custody of Gujarat Police and subject to police torture, the property was vacated and physical possession of the property was taken over by Shri R.R. Jain’s sister was handed over. Following the investigation completion, the chargesheet was filed against Shri Sanjiv Bhatt & others u/s 114, 120B, 323, 342, 348, 357, 365, 368, 388, 452, 201 & 482 IPC and Sec. 9, 17, 18, 29, 58(1) & 58(2) r/w Sec. 37 of NDPS Act in the court of Spl. Judge, NDPS Act, Jodhpur, Rajasthan.
The more shocking detail emerged during our research is that the police in Palanpur did not investigate the narcotics case (registered as C.R. No.216/96) despite the fact that the investigation was crucial.
In 2011, Sanjiv Bhatt filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court accusing Mr Narendra Modi of “involvement in the 2002 riots”. In his affidavit, he had claimed that he had attended the meeting organized by the then Gujarat Chief Minister Modi, who had asked top police officials to allow Hindus to vent their anger against the minority community after the attack on Sabarmati Express, in which 59 Hindus were burnt to death.
However, the Nanavati report refutes the allegations levied by Bhatt against Narendra Modi. The Nanavati Commission of Inquiry Report Part II, Page 2557 states “We have dealt with the evidence and recorded our finding on this point hereafter in this Volume. For the present it is sufficient to state that the claim made by Shri Sanjiv Bhatt and his version are found to be false.”
Apart from that, the 210.11 point of the report says, “On consideration of the evidence, it clearly appears that Bhatt is not telling the truth with regards to what happened in the meeting held on 27 February 2002, at the CM’s residence. Claims made by him of being present in the meeting appear to be false.”
In order to support to his claim that he had attended meeting held at the Chief Minister’s Residence on 27.2.2002, Sanjiv Bhat had relied upon the fax which he purported to have been signed by him and sent on 27.2.2002. But, the report page no.2626 reveals that the fax was originally sent by Shri P.P. Upadhyay, D.C. in the office of the State Intelligence Bureau to CP, Ahemdabad, and P.S. to Chief Minister, Gandhinagar and P.S. to MOS(Home), Gandhinagar on 2.3.2002. It was sent in respect to another incident of 28.2.2002 which happened at Pandarva within the area of Khanpur Police Station of Panchmahals district. The Commission found that the fax was not a genuine document.
The findings of the report also reveals that it was in the year 2009, when Bhatt claimed for the first time that he had attended the meeting where the Chief Minister made a particular statement. In 2002 and 2004, the Commission when conducting and inquiry, had issued a notification urging everyone with relevant information to submit affidavits or statements. Despite government directives, Bhatt did not file any affidavit or statement before the Commission.
Apart from the officials who were present at the meeting denied that Bhatt was present in the said meeting. According to Bhatt’s claim he had attended the meeting with DGP Shri Chakravarthi. But the DGP in his affidavit, filed on 21.2.2012 said, “I had categorically told the SIT Officers that I had gone straight to CM’s residence from Doordarshan office, Ahmedabad on 27th night. I say that I had also stated before SIT that Shri Sanjiv Bhatt did not accompany me in my car to CM’s residence on 27th night nor did he attend the CM‟s meeting that night as claimed belatedly by him.”
Moreover, the “ZAKIA AHSAN JAFRI vs STATE OF GUJARAT & ANR” also contradicts the claim of Bhatt that he had attended the meeting on 27 February 2002, at the CM’s residence. The page 198 of the report says call records of Sanjiv Bhatt’s government mobile phone (no. 9825049398) on February 27, 2002, and February 28, 2002, shows that he remained in Ahmedabad. CM’s residence is at Gandhinagar, more than 25 KMs from Ahmedabad, therefore his claim proved to be false and incorrect.
Furthermore, the SIT investigation uncovered that Ahmed Patel, the political advisor of the then Congress president Sonia Gandhi, had provided 30 lakh rupees to social activist Teesta Setalvad, former state Director General of Police (DGP) RB Sreekumar, and Sanjiv Bhatt. The fund was given to orchestrate a plan to implicate then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and destabilize his government in the aftermath of the 2002 Gujarat riots.
In the year 2022, Bhatt was arrested by the SIT on charges of fabricating evidence to falsely implicate PM Narendra Modi in the 2002 Gujarat riots.
Conclusion: All these facts and findings prove that Sanjiv Bhatt is in jail due to his misuse of power and position. Since Bhatt’s conviction in 2019, certain left-leaning groups have attempted to promote a false narrative, claiming that his conviction was due to his opposition to Modi. However, this narrative is entirely baseless.
| Claim | The former IPS officer, Sanjiv Bhatt, is currently facing several charges, allegedly stemming from his honesty and his guts to question the government |
| Claimed by | Sadaf Afreen and David Shoebridge |
| Fact Check | Misleading |
Also Read: The Wire’s False Narrative: Denying the Existence of Temple Beneath Babri Mosque
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