Narendra Modi’s right-hand honcho in the dock

With Amit Shah in the dock, the shadow of the carnage hanging like a bad memory, insomnia revisits the Hindutva superman
Amit Sengupta Delhi

Like Stalin's Beria, and George Bush's Dick Cheney: they ran the terror machinery as two-in-one. Buy one, get two, like a packaged deal. The only thing is that the deal has turned upside down. That's what is happening in Gujarat, much to the discomfort of Narendra Modi and his minister number one, Amit Shah.

Finally, Gujarat Home Minister Amit Shah is in the dock. Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's blue eyed boy, right-hand honcho, boss of the dirty tricks department, confidant and loyalist, trouble shooter and trouble maker, Hindutva's macho maleness and BJP's role model -- is in deep trouble. He skipped CBI's summons on Thursday, and he refused to yet again respond to the summons on Friday at 1 pm. These delaying tactics, however, sources say, won't work. It's just a matter of time, according to sources, that he will be put behind bars, for his alleged and decisive role as the top boss in authority in the fake encounter of Sohrabuddin Sheikh, Kausar Bi, his wife, in 2005, and one year later, Tushar Prajapati, the sole eyewitness. All of them shot in called blood and dubbed as an encounter. Kausar Bi's body has apparently been not even recovered.

Fifteen top cops, some of the highest ranking officers in the state and reportedly ideologically aligned to the powerful coterie of Modi, are already in jail in connection with the murders. And as state home minister, sources in Gujarat say, Amit Shah's role has been meticulously documented, including phone calls and witness accounts. This effectively damages the unbridled immunity -- "total lawlessness", say activists -- which Modi's police hierarchy enjoyed over the last few years

The speculation on Thursday night was that he might be picked up in the wee hours of the morning, the hours between darkness and dawn during which police love to pick up half-asleep, not-so-alert individuals; also the early twilight hours which encounter specialists love as well - when the whole world sleeps their most delicious, dreamless sleep. That is, unless they become too cocky and confident, as some top cops, Modi's favourites, became, in Gujarat. And regretted it thereafter, like Mumbai's trigger-happy 'encounter specialist', Daya Nayak, or Delhi's own, Rajbir Singh.

Amit Shah's role as home minister during the fake encounters has been under much speculation and scrutiny since the top cops, including the former notorious Gujarat ATS chief DG Vanjara, was implicated in the murder. Another senior IPS officer, Ajay Chaudassama, known to be super powerful, was also recently arrested for his involvement in the case. Vanjara was known to be a reckless encounter specialist who went berserk. His close proximity to both Shah and Modi is well known in police circles. Uncannily, the shadow of Modi looms large because both Sohrabuddin and Ishrat Jahan and others (widely perceived to be killed in fake encounters) were accused of planning to assassinate Modi. Indeed, human rights activists are asking that if Shah was in the know of the murders, how come Modi, who runs a "one-man authoritarian Hindu rashtra" in Gujarat, was not aware of the encounters? "Could Shah have executed the orders without the chief minister's permission?" said activists in Gujarat talking to Hardnews.

In fact, Modi, several ministers and police officers are under the scanner for their direct and indirect role in the mass murders of Gujarat 2002, otherwise called a State-sponsored genocide. The cases are under the investigation of the SIT under the Supreme Court's orders, Modi has deposed before the SIT, and there is a body of evidence to prove the hands of several top BJP/VHP leaders and the cops role as accomplices in the carnage. Top BJP/VHP leaders Mayaben Kodnani and Jaideep Patel are already in the dock. 

Amit Shah has been doing a disappearing act for some time now. He mysteriously disappeared during the big 'Gujarat celebrations' recently, has not been seen in many cabinet meetings, and has been avoiding the public domain. There has been much speculation in recent times that he will be arrested any time.

Indeed, if he is arrested, this will be a direct blow to superman Modi who thinks he is invincible, and has aspirations to become the prime minister, despite the shadow of the Gujarat carnage hanging on his head like a bad memory he just can't shake off. If his best pal and right-hand man is implicated and put behind bars, this is depressing stuff for a man who does not have too many friends in his close circles, and is distrusted by powerful leaders in the headquarters in Delhi for his ambitions. That Nitish Kumar too refused to break bread with Modi in Bihar has not added much glory to his rather contentious reputation.

His former home minister Gordan Zadaphiya, who also presided over the carnage, is now his sworn enemy. And VHP rabble rouser, Praveen Togadia, too has no love lost for him, because Modi put him in his place. Keshubhai Patel, Suresh Mehta, Kashiram Rana and others are open enemies of Modi. 
So the theory that he is 'PM material', as propagated by the likes of Arun Shourie and some greedy, abjectly unethical industrialists, is not a bestseller everybody is ready to buy.

As and when it happens, with Amit Shah cooling his heals in jail, like Vanjara and other top cops close to him, this is new insomnia for the self-styled Hindutva hriday samrat. Indeed, with the bomb blasts terror trial closing in on RSS and Hindutva groups, this is real sleepless stuff for the Sangh Parivar and the BJP. No wonder they were having late night crisis meetings on Thursday. While on Friday, refusing to attend the PM's lunch in protest, their faces fallen in a pall of despair gloom. What worries them is that if one thing leads to another what will hit them next if the investigations are allowed to go to their logical conclusion.

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