New Delhi: The father of the woman who was allegedly spied upon by Gujarat Police in 2009 following instructions from former state minister Amit Shah, who is a close aide of Chief Minister Narendra Modi, has written to the National Commission for Women (NCW) rejecting the need for an investigation into the matter. In his letter dated November 17 the father said that his daughter was aware of the surveillance and that there was no invasion of her privacy.
He mentions that he had personally asked Modi to put his daughter under surveillance. The father also accuses vested interests in the media of raking up the issue and urges the NCW to ensure that the matter is not discussed any further in the media. In a statement to the media, the father of the young architect wrote that his daughter was aware of the surveillance. He asked for her privacy to be respected and urged the NCW in Gujarat and in New Delhi not to seek more details on the case.
But the NCW said that her father’s statements do not matter and the woman must come out with her version. “Privacy is a larger issue. NCW would like to know more. We are pressurized from the NGOs. We would like to listen to her in complete confidentiality. Generally we don’t accept the statement or the letter given by the relatives because in the past also we have been put into difficult positions when the complainant only took objection that since she has not said anything or written anything.
Relatives have got no right especially when the complainant is a major. If the person is capable of giving a statement we prefer it to come from the person who wants to make the statement. The larger issue that needs to be tackled is the question of privacy can it be kept under surveillance whether the due process of law allows it,” said NCW member Nirmala Samant. The NCW is yet to receive the letter. The controversy has engulfed Narendra Modi and the BJP at a time when he is running for Prime Minister Ship. Two news websites cobrapost.com and Gulail said that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has audio tapes that allegedly reveal Amit Shah instructing police officers to tail the woman at all times, as insisted upon by “saheb”. The Congress alleges that the “saheb” refers to Modi.
Coming out strongly in Modi’s defence, the BJP said that the woman’s father requested Modi to ensure her safety because she was being allegedly stalked by a senior Gujarat IAS officer Pradeep Sharma. Sharma, however, denied the charges and alleged that he was ‘persecuted’ by the Gujarat government through an array of corruption cases.
Bureau Report
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