Sanjiv Bhatt's wife writes to Chidambaram, appeals for his safety

Ahmedabad: Three days after suspended IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt was arrested, his wife today appealed to Union Home Minister P Chidambaram to "ensure the safety" of her husband.

Shweta Bhatt, in a letter written to the Home Minister, said that her husband apprehends danger to his life from a "vindictive administration". The senior cop, viewed by many as a whistleblower, has accused Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi of complicity in the riots that ravaged the state in 2002. He was arrested on Friday night in Gandhinagar following a complaint of abducting and forcefully recording the statement of a constable. The statement, in question, reportedly backs Mr Bhatt's allegations against the Chief Minister.

"I request you to initiate appropriate steps to safeguard right and liberty of my husband and also keep an eye on the victimisation meted out to him. I fear that he may be embroiled in a series of false cases that have no basis to simply harass and intimidate him", Mrs Bhatt wrote in the letter.

Mr Bhatt is currently lodged at the Sabarmati Jail after a local court in Ahmedabad, on Saturday, turned down police's request for seven-day custody of the top cop. His bail plea will come up for hearing tomorrow.

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Mr Bhatt had filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court this year alleging that Mr Modi had, in a meeting on February 27, 2002, asked officials not to act against rioters during the riots that year. He had added that his allegations could be backed up by head constable KD Pant who was also part of those meetings. But Mr Pant has alleged that Mr Bhatt forced him to back his allegations on record against Narendra Modi. He further alleged that Mr Bhatt had threatened him and made him sign a false affidavit with regard to the meeting. In fact, it is on Mr Pant's complaint that the IPS officer was arrested.