On June 26, a former aide of Teesta Satalvad, Rais Khan Pathan, revealed that all the activities undertaken by the claimed rights activist Teesta Satalwad during the 2002 Gujarat riots were politically sponsored by the Congress party. He stated that Satalwad’s only motive was to target the then CM Narendra Modi.
In an exclusive debate with the Republic TV, Rais Khan said Teesta was in contact with many Congress leaders, including Ahmed Patel and Sonia Gandhi, and assured financial and social support to the so-called activist. “In 2002, Ahmed Patel came to Circuit House, Shahibaug in Ahmedabad. We (Khan and Teesta) had gone to meet him and Teesta had told him that she was short of funds to execute the activities planned. Patel then had called a person named Narendra Brahmbhatt who was chairman of the hotel association and had ordered him to provide funds to Teesta whenever she needed,” he said.
He added that Teesta was immediately provided with Rs 5 lakhs and an assurance that the entire Congress Party was in her support. Rais Khan said that all the affidavits filed on behalf of the witnesses in connection with the 2002 Gujarat riots were scripted and that the witnesses had no idea about what was written in the affidavit.” Teesta didn’t ask anybody before framing the affidavits. Nobody knew what was written in them. Even Madina Pathan, one of the witnesses didn’t know what was written in the affidavit filed in her name”, Pathan said on June 27.
An affidavit in the Supreme Court stated that Madina, then a young bride, was raped and stabbed at her late husband’s house in Naroda Gam. But she has told the SIT that she was never raped but stabbed. She said she had no idea what was written in that affidavit since it was in English which she could neither read, write or understand.
“They (witness) didn’t know what was written in the affidavit. So how could they tell what was written in the affidavit? They told the truth before SIT. Teesta told victims to lie to pressurize the government. She tried to explain the same thing to Madina but later she told the truth. Teesta was very angry with her”, Pathan was quoted. He also added that Madina had then slammed Teesta for filing a false affidavit in her name. She had clearly denied the claims that she was raped.
According to Pathan, the victims had then together registered an FIR against Teesta Setalvad for filing false affidavits in their name. They claimed that all the affidavits filed by Setalvad were fake and totally untrue. “I also have submitted an affidavit in the court in the year 2011. It is full of evidence against Teesta Setalvad”, Pathan said reiterating that Setalvad was backed by the Congress party.
He said that the victims were taken to Delhi and were provided accommodation at Vithal Bhai Patel House on Parliament Street. Later they were made to meet Congress’s Sonia Gandhi and Ahmed Patel where the duo ordered the victims to follow Teesta and assured Teesta of monetary support.
On Sunday, the Ahmedabad crime branch arrested Teesta Setalvad, a day after she was detained by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) in connection with a fresh case of forgery criminal conspiracy, and insulting criminal proceedings to cause injury registered against her. This came as the Supreme Court dismissed a petition challenging the clean chit given by the SIT to then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi and others in the 2002 post-Godhra riots cases.
Setalvad has been booked under IPC 468 (Forgery for the purpose of cheating), 471 (using forged document or record as genuine), 194 (Giving or fabricating false evidence with intent to procure conviction of capital offence) and other sections of the IPC alongside two others.
