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Gujarat denies 'manipulation' of witnesses

By Our Special Correspondent

GANDHINAGAR JUNE 18. The Gujarat Government has asked the Home Secretary, Rajkumar, to inquire into the allegations of some pro-Government voluntary organisations "manipulating'' witnesses to appear before the G. T. Nanavati and K. G. Shah Judicial Inquiry Commission probing the Godhra train carnage and the subsequent communal riots in the State last year.

An official spokesman said here tonight that the State Government had taken a serious note of the allegations to this effect in a section of the press and asked Mr. Rajkumar to inquire about the functioning of the voluntary organisations. He said the Government on its part did not try to manipulate witnesses to depose before the commission in favour of the police or the administration.

The commission is now holding its sitting in Vadodara where many of the non-Government organisations and the riot victims boycotted its proceedings, alleging "partisan'' attitude of the commission and the police. They had also alleged that most of the witnesses were brought before the commission by the police to depose in favour of the uniformed men. Regarding the presence of some police officials during the hearing of the commission in Vadodara, which the reports said was "scaring'' the witnesses to speak against the police behaviour during the riots, the spokesman said it was for the commission, which like the court of law was independent of the Government, to decide who all could be present during its hearings. A total of 203 individual as well as group witnesses in the form of NGOs and social organisations have recorded their statements before the Nanavati Commission. The commission, probing the violence, concluded its three-day hearing here today.

Mr. Justice G.T. Nanavati, in reply to a question, said that though no time limit could be fixed now, the commission was trying to complete its probe in the next six months as several procedures had to be followed before finalising its report.

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