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Probing riots undercover is challenging: Rana Ayyub
Journalist and author of ‘Gujarat Files’ Rana Ayyub Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah maintained a strategic political decision to keep silent and not to act in any way which would be detrimental to their political interests after her expose of the ‘State-sponsored’ riots in Gujarat in 2002.
Anantapur: Journalist and author of ‘Gujarat Files’ Rana Ayyub Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah maintained a strategic political decision to keep silent and not to act in any way which would be detrimental to their political interests after her expose of the ‘State-sponsored’ riots in Gujarat in 2002.
The 32-year-old fire-brand scribe, who was here on Thursday, in connection with the release of the Telugu translation of ‘Gujarat Files; in a conversation with The Hans India stated The 32 year old former Editor of Tehelka said that the inspiration and provocation to indulge in investigation of the Gujarat 2002 riots was the arrest of the then Gujarat Minister of State for Home Affairs Amit Shah triggered by her expose of the murder of one Sohrabuddin and linking his murder to a conspiracy by no less a person than Amit Shah.
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Says Modi and Shah did not threaten her as they felt that it might be detrimental to their political interests
- Informs talks are going on to adapt her book ‘Gujarat Files’ into a movie
Rana’s access to call list of Amit Shah and the corroboration of the same by the CBI all resulted in CBI arresting a Minister for the first time in India. The sensational revelations and expose by the Tehelka journalist Rana made the management give a bigger assignment of probing the 2002 Gujarat riots.
“The most challenging task was probing of the Gujarat riots incognito, masquerading as an independent film maker and a student of the American Film Institute with an undercover name-Maithili Tyagi. I had secret cameras and gave no scope for suspicion. I recorded the statements of Gujarat's top police officers and managed to escape the security dragnet,” she said.
When she penned all the investigation details into a story dubbed as 'Gujarat Files', Tehelka refused to publish her investigation in a book form, when it became evident that Narendra Modi was poised to become the Prime Minister of the country. Knowing the obvious dangers involved no publisher in the country came forward to publish the book.
Rana stated that she decided to self publish her book but a great price had to be paid for the decision. She had to dispose away her gold ornaments and other economic assets and also take bank loan to finance the project.
A beaming Rana said that the entire country clamoured for her book and there was tremendous response pouring in from all quarters. The book subsequently has been transalted into Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu and other languages.
When asked about prospects of producing a film based on her book, she said with a sense of pride that a project was under way and a few producers from Bollywood have already come forward to make a film. “Truth will reach the masses of India.
They will wake up to the fact whom they elected as PM of India,” she averred. Asked about her future project, she revealed that she along with a few likeminded investigative journalists would launch a magazine soon.
