Nothing wrong with Gujarat affidavit: Chidambaram

NDTV Correspondent, Friday September 11, 2009, Washington

Home Minister P Chidambaram has said there is nothing wrong with the Gujarat affidavit. Speaking out for the first time on the controversy, he said the Gujarat government cannot try to use the home ministry affidavit to defend itself against charges of carrying out a fake encounter.The minister said the affidavit was only meant to be an intelligence input, not conclusive proof of guilt, much less a reason for killing anyone in cold blood. "What is wrong with the affidavit? To the best of my knowledge the affidavit says that intelligence inputs were shared with the Gujarat government. That affidavit must be read in context. You cannot read into it what it does not say. I think it is self-evident that intelligence inputs are not evidence, much less conclusive proof. They are just inputs. They are hared with governments on a regular basis. That is not evidence or conclusive proof. It gives leads to investigations further enquiry. If a state government acts as though intelligence inputs are evidence or conclusive proof, I am sorry for that government. "Certainly no one suggested that based on an intelligence input you should kill someone. I think too much is being attributed to that affidavit if it is meant to defend the government of Gujarat against the excesses that may have been committed by its police I am sorry for the government of Gujarat and the manner in which it runs its police administration."Earlier, the Congress said that the party might want the home ministry to have a re-look at the affidavit."We would certainly want the government to take a look and the government is fully entitled to a magisterial enquiry in the high court of Gujarat and the Supreme Court to explain, elaborate and interpret the affidavit given earlier," Congress Spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi told NDTV.


Will Mr. Chidambaram explain why a home-Ministry official was suspended over the issue of the affidavit? If the Home Ministry issues an affidavit that certain people are members of a terrorist organization, does it not prove that the Gujarat police had terrorists in their hands? Killing even certified terrorists without giving them a chance to go through the due process of law is no doubt an infringement of law. However, unless the police version that it was an encounter where the terrorists were on the verge of carrying out an operation is a fairy tale, the terrorists deserve no sympathy.

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