Gohil is not attending his office at Mangrol in Junagadh district reportedly to evade arrest by the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is re-investigating the most gruesome cases of the 2002 riots.

Gohil (55) was the second police inspector of the Naroda police station during the post-Godhra communal riots and is wanted by the SIT for alleged dereliction of duty during the Naroda Gam rioting on February 28, 2002. Senior policemen in Junagadh said Gohil is at present absent and has been summoned to resume his duties immediately.

Incidentally, this is not the first time he has done the vanishing act without citing reasons. In September 2004, when Gohil was the first police inspector of the Naroda police station, he was suspended after an inspection by the then Ahmedabad city police commissioner K R Kaushik found him absent.

Gohil, who is also known for his alcohol addiction, had “escaped” minutes before Kaushik’s visit, reportedly for the fear of being rebuked for not maintaining a proper station diary.

Gohil was under suspension for four months and later got posted to the state police intelligence bureau. From there, Gohil was sent to his present office in Mangrol.

His immediate senior, Junagadh Superintendent of Police H G Desai told Newsline that Gohil has been absent on duty for nearly a week now.

“I have also issued notices in Gohil’s name, ordering him to resume duty at the earliest. Since he has not been able to furnish details of the grounds for seeking leave, Gohil is being considered absent from duty,” Desai added.

Sources in the Mangrol police said Gohil suddenly went on sick leave in the first week of February, after the SIT arrested Valsad DySP K G Erda in connection with the Gulbarg Society massacre case. Erda was Meghaninagar inspector in 2002 and was accused of dereliction of duty like Gohil.

According to sources in the SIT, Gohil is accused of dereliction, destroying evidence and carrying out improper police investigations in the Naroda Gam riot case. Eleven people were butchered to death in the incident. After a yearlong investigation, the SIT wants to arrest Gohil in connection with the Naroda Gam riot case.

Gohil, along with five other policemen, is under SIT scanner for some “glaring lapses” in the initial police probes of the riot cases. Erda, whom the SIT arrested on February 8, was also under scanner. This newspaper had reported this first on January 22.