Ahmedabad: A day after a minority community riot victim alleged the presence of former Gujarat Minister Haren Pandya in the rioting mob, the slain Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) leader's father Vitthalbhai on July 18 fired yet another salvo at Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi alleging that "it was a politically motivated move by him (Modi) to tarnish his son's (Pandya) image."

"It is a politically motivated move by Modi to send such people to tarnish the image of my son", Vitthalbhai said in a written statement to the two-man Godhra riots probe commission on July 18.

Dr Yunus Bhavanagri, a victim of communal riots in 2002 from Paldi area, had alleged before the commission "It was the presence of Haren Pandya that encouraged the rampaging mob outside his house."

"As it was my birthday on the day of incident (February 28), my son was with me and no sooner did he receive a call about sparking of communal riots, he went to pacify the mob and not to instigate it", the deceased leader's father added.

Vitthalbhai, who has been persistenly critical of Modi ever since the killing of Pandya on March 26, also demanded the recording of Modi's statement by the commission.

Meanwhile, state counsel Arvind Pandya said that Bhavnagarr's statements were "totally fabricated" as he had not mentioned Pandya's name in his previous complaints.

Bhavnagari also told the commission on July 18 that he had not named Pandya in the police complaint lodged by him a week after the incident.

"It is true I have not named Haren Pandya as being present in the rioting mob in the police complaint I lodged on March 7 2002", Bhavnagari said during cross-examination by state counsel Arvind Pandya on July 18.

Later, Bhavnagari told newspersons that he not named Pandya in his earlier police statement "fearing that it would hamper the case".

The victim told the panel members that his statement was recorded on March 31 and a First Information Report (FIR) was lodged by Ellisbridge police station, but in neither he had specified Pandya's name.

Justice (retd) G T Nanavati, who heads the two-man panel, also pulled up the counsel reminding him that "it was an inquiry commission and not a trial", when the latter fired a volley of questions at Bhavanagari.

PTI