I've filmed inside the Gulberg society on multiple occasions - twice in 2002, once in 2007, and thrice in 2012. Each time, it is an eerie experience, standing inside the Jafri home, imagining Feb 28, 2002, with people packed inside seeking shelter. Mr Jafri desperately ringing up everyone he could. The mobs launching their multiple attacks...and that moment of decision when Mr Jafri decided to hand himself over to the mob, hoping all others would be spared.... My friend Manoj Mitta of TOI demolishes the myth of the so-called clean chit to Modi by SIT in his new book - http://www.thehoot.org/web/Undermining-the-SIT-s--clean-chit-/7306-1-1-9-true.html. Here, in this sequence filmed in 2002, listen to the eyewitness accounts of the 2 young men who were helping Mr Jafri make calls. They specifically speak of calls to Sonia Gandhi and her political secretary, Mr Ahmed Patel of Gujarat. Presumably, they tried to reach Modi to arrange for protection to their own ex-MP. Listen to the boys speak of the call to Modi's office itself. Mr Modi, in his responses to SIT claimed he did not know of the Gulberg massacre till late evening (830 pm). http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?289455 Amnesia? Falsehood? Politically expedient half-truth? A blatant lie to save his own skin? You decide.... A little known fact: Less than a week before, Modi won his by-election from Rajkot2 with a small margin of approx 12,000 votes. The rather spirited Congress campaign in the constituency was handled, among others, by Mr Ehsan Jafri, Congress leader and former Member of Parliament. This is an excerpt from Final Solution, the national award-winning film that probes politics of hate. The film, premiered at the Berlin film festival, has over a dozen international awards, including the Berlinale's Staudte Prize (now known as the Golden Bear for Best Debut). The original version certified by the Indian Censor Board (CBFC) was over 3.5 hours long. A year later, a shorter 2.5 hour version was made (separately certified by CBFC) for public screenings.

• published: 05 Mar 2014
• views: 21029