Writing a letter to his family from prison former Gujarat police chief Sanjiv Bhatt said the state in India today represents “concentrated and organised violence”. He added that “Thuggery has been allowed to elevate itself into a technique of governance.” “The so-called watchdogs of democracy have been tamed into whimpering submission. In these times of all-round institutional undermining and systemic subversion, no institution or organisation is safe,” he said.
Bhatt is serving life imprisonment in a 30-year-old custodial death case. In the letter, he acknowledged family’s role in his decision to serve a “cause that was larger than all of us”. The letter was shared by his wife Shweta on social media.
Sanjiv Bhatt told his wife in the letter, “whatever I am today, is only and only because of you”. He added, “You have been my strength and my inspiration. You have been the fuel that kept the furnaces of my passion and idealism burning against all odds. Love you forever… and beyond.”
Saying that last year was the toughest for him and his family, the former IPS officer said “It all started in last August with the vindictive demolition of the legally retrofitted portions of our house without even giving us a fair chance to challenge the grossly illegal demolition,” he said. “I can only imagine how very painful it must’ve been for you to helplessly watch portions of the home you created and tended with so much love, being pulled down by the supplicant stooges of a thuggish government.”
As reported by the Scroll, the former IPS officer claimed that India is “at a tipping point”. “The choices we make today will determine our fate for the next few decades,” he said. “None of us can afford to be in the stands anymore. We’ve got to be in the fight. Politics is not a spectator sport. We may avoid politics, but politics will not avoid us. We must resolve to fight these thugs at all levels.”