Gujarat riots: SIT questions Modi

Chief Minister Narendra Modi was today questioned for five hours by the Supreme Court-appointed SIT on his alleged role in the Gujarat riots, the first time he was being probed since the carnage eight years back.

The questioning which lasted for five-and-a-half-hours remained inconclusive and will resume in the night.

“I am taking a break from questioning” a smiling 59-year-old BJP leader told reporters putting up a brave face, as he emerged out of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) office at the old state secretariat building here.

Modi said he would try to come back at about 9 pm.

SIT Chief R K Raghavan was not present at his office when Modi appeared in response to the panel’s summons. SIT’s second-in-command A K Malhotra and a former CBI DIG questioned the chief minister.

Modi suffered the ignominy of being the first-ever chief minister of any state to be questioned in a criminal complaint of mass murder after he and his administration were accused of aiding and abetting riots in a locality in Ahmedabad. Ending the suspense on where and when he would appear after he was summoned for questioning in connection with a complaint of Zakia Jaffery, widow of former Congress MP Eshan Jaffery, Modi reached the SIT office around noon.