Teesta Grilled By Cops in Gulberg Society Funds Case

AHMEDABAD: Activist Teesta Setalvad was today questioned by city crime branch officials here today in connection with the alleged Gulberg Society fund misuse case.  

Setalvad, who appeared before the officials around 11 am, was quizzed for about seven hours, crime branch sources said.                

Talking to reporters after the questioning, Setalvad claimed that she is innocent and had been framed in a false case.   

"As directed by the Gujarat High Court, I have given my statement to the officials. Other accused in the case will give their statement tomorrow. I am booked in a false case. I have done nothing wrong and I have all the documents to support my claims," she said.             

Earlier on December 5, the Gujarat High Court had directed Setalvad, her husband Javed Anand and slain Congress MP Ehsan Jafri's son Tanvir along with former Gulberg society resident Firoz Gulzar to appear before the crime branch every fortnight in this case.     

The High Court gave this direction while hearing anticipatory bail applications filed by Setalvad and three others, in which they have contended that the city crime branch of the Gujarat police was interested in arresting her and others in the fund misuse case.     

Setalvad and others sought anticipatory bail from the High Court as the city sessions court here had rejected their pre-arrest bail plea on March 25.      

The city crime branch, in January this year, had registered an FIR against Setalvad and others for allegedly usurping Rs 1.51 crore collected by them in the form of donations for turning Gulberg Society into a riots museum.          

The issue had surfaced when twelve residents of Gulberg society had demanded Rs 1.51 crore from Setalvad last year alleging that the money collected in their name for making museum at the Gulberg society was usurped by her and never distributed to them even after they dropped the idea of the museum.

On February 28, 2002, following the Godhra Sabarmati train carnage, 69 people including former MP Ehsan Zafri were killed by an unruly mob at the Gulberg Society here during the riots.  

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