New tapes show snooping beyond Gujarat: Website

By Dilip -
News portal Gulail.com on Tuesday released a set of 39 new tapes purportedly containing tapped conversations which it said established that the alleged illegal surveillance mounted on a young woman by the Gujarat Police went "beyond the boundaries of the state". The surveillance was carried out because, the web portal said in a report headlined 'Snoopgate: New tapes nail BJP lies', "a Saheb in Gujarat was interested in knowing the details of her (the woman's) love life."
The tapes contain purported conversations between Gujarat police officers G L Singhal and A K Sharma, who are discussing the refusal of the Karnataka government to allow them to tap the phone of the woman, whom Gulail calls "Madhuri". This allegedly happened in 2009, when B S Yeddyurappa was chief minister of the state. According to Gulail, the new tapes reveal that officials of private mobile service companies facilitated interception of the woman's phones and illegally taped her conversations without authorisation from the Gujarat home secretary.

"These (new) tapes are in exclusive possession of Gulail and are not part of the 267 tapes that were seized from G L Singhal by the CBI in June," Gulail has said in its report.
"Gulail is revealing that Madhuri, a Bangalore-based architect, was surveilled by the Gujarat Police beyond the boundaries of the state. Gulail has obtained 39 new audio tapes of telephone conversations which reveal that the Gujarat home department had contacted the Karnataka government in 2009 and sought authorization to intercept the cellphone of Madhuri in whose private life — her movements and relationships — a Saheb was taking great personal interest," Gulail said.

Amit Shah, a close aide of Narendra Modi, was then the Gujarat minister of state for home. He purportedly figured in an earlier set of recordings released by Gulail last month, in which the alleged surveillance of the woman was first revealed. Gulail on Tuesday said in a press statement: ...The new tapes prove beyond doubt that the sole purpose of this surveillance was to stalk Madhuri, and not to protect her. The BJP's claim that the exercise was done to "protect" doesn't hold water either."

Singhal, who was allegedly heard speaking to Amit Shah in the earlier tapes, is accused in the alleged Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case. In the tapes released by Gulail on Tuesday, Sharma is purportedly heard speaking with fellow IPS officer A K Sharma, a former IG of the state intelligence bureau who is now joint commissioner of Ahmedabad Police Crime Branch.

Excerpts from the purported conversation which was mostly in Gujarati, and an English translation of which was provided by Gulail:.. read more:


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