Indian police official says Gujarat chief ordered him to act against Muslims

AHMEDABAD, India, Friday (AFP) A top Indian police official has told a tribunal that Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi ordered him to "eliminate persons" belonging to the Muslim community during riots in 2002.

R.B. Sreekumar served as intelligence chief of western Gujarat state during 2002 riots in which about 2,000 people - mainly Muslims - were killed. He said he received directives from Modi and his government colleagues to tap telephones and "eliminate persons belonging to the minority community".

The police officer made the allegations in a written submission to India's Central Administrative Tribunal which investigates complaints by civil servants.

The tribunal is investigating Sreekumar's complaint that he was passed over for promotion because he ignored Modi's orders.

Modi, who has been accused by opposition and human rights groups of doing little to stop the bloody riots, has until May 9 to file a reply to the tribunal.

Gujarat state home minister Amit Shah has denied the officer's claims as "baseless" and said they were levelled by Sreekumar because he was bitter that he had been passed over for promotion.

The riots were triggered after claims that a Muslim mob torched a train carrying Hindus at Godhra, killing 59 people. A subsequent official report said the train fire was an accident.

Sreekumar said he had been asked by Modi "to concentrate on Muslim militants" in controlling the riots. He said a senior civil servant, G. Subba Rao, had told him to "eliminate" any person trying to disrupt a Hindu religious event in the state.

"He (Rao) added that this is the well-considered decision of Chief Minister Narendra Modi," Sreekumar wrote.

He said he was also directed to "to tap the telephone of a very senior leader of the opposition Congress party".