The disappearance and subsequent appearance case of VHP leader Pravin Togadia took an interesting turn on Wednesday with the right wing leader dragging the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi into the case.
The VHP leader alleged that Ahmedabad Joint Commissioner, Crime Branch, J.K. Bhatt was acting at the behest of “political masters” in New Delhi. "Bhatt has begun hatching a conspiracy against me and harassing our nationalist workers at the behest of political bosses in Delhi. In the last 15 days, how many times has Bhatt spoken with the PM? Their call details must be made public," Togadia told reporters.
The firebrand Hindu leader, who was once close to PM Modi, had gone "missing" on Monday and emerged from a private hospital some 10 hours later in a reportedly unconscious state as his sugar levels fell drastically.
Togadia, who went on to call Modi his "old friend", urged him not to take steps that would lead to killing of democracy. "Is this a crime branch or conspiracy branch? I have called my lawyer and shall initiate legal action against crime branch," he said.
He further claimed that Bhatt had tortured the person—whose home he had gone on Monday—and forced him to give a statement.
Bhatt has stated that Togadia was hale and hearty when he called in an ambulance van to admit him in the private hospital and was not missing at all. Bhatt on Tuesday presented to the media a blow-by-blow account of where the VHP leader went during the day and how he managed to get himself admitted in a private hospital though nothing had happened to him.
The VHP leader, however, claimed that he did not know how he reached the hospital.
Initial reports had suggested that he was admitted to the hospital in a “semi-conscious” condition.
(With agency inputs)
