Ahmedabad, (The Telegraph): Jagruti Pandya, 49, widow of slain BJP leader Haren Pandya whose father had blamed Narendra Modi for his murder, today said she would take charge as chairperson of the Gujarat Commission for the Protection of Child Rights on Monday.
Jagruti, who had fought a long battle for justice after her husband was murdered in March 2003, was appointed on Wednesday. She will have a three-year tenure.
"I have never made any personal allegations, never named anybody. So I have no personal issues with Narendra Modi or Amit Shah. I just questioned the manner in which the probe was conducted," she said.
Asked what would happen to her legal fight for a re-investigation, Jagruti said: "The matter is sub judice." In a hint that she would not pursue the case, she added: "I am not a party to the case pending in the court. The accused and the Gujarat government are the parties."
Haren, 42, was found dead in his car outside the Law Garden in Ahmedabad where he would go for his morning walk. A year earlier, he had refused to vacate his Assembly seat for Modi, souring relations.
Modi had replaced Keshubhai Patel as chief minister and wanted to contest from Ellisbridge, a constituency that had elected Haren with a huge margin. He contested from Rajkot after Haren, then the home minister, refused. When the next Assembly elections were held, Haren was not given a ticket.
Haren's father Vitthal Pandya, who died a few years ago, had alleged that Modi had a role in his son's murder.
Jagruti had demanded a re-investigation after all 12 accused in the murder were acquitted. The high court had described the investigation as "botched up".
When Keshubhai, on whose party's ticket she contested the 2012 election, merged that party with the BJP, Jagruti had boycotted the event and said she would continue her battle for justice for her husband.
Jagruti, who recently met Modi in Delhi, said today she was only following in the footsteps of her husband who had never quit the BJP although he had many options.
