Her former colleagues in the Commission say that Bhagwat was always very forthright and categorical in denouncing the role played by the Shiv Sena in the riots. It was largely due to her efforts that the truth about the Hari Masjid in Wadala firing came across and the Commission termed it ``unjustified.''

She had spent a great deal of time with the affected families and ``arranged volunteers corps'' who gave evidence before the Commission. ``Bhagwat was uncompromisingly secular in her arguments and she argued with total honesty. She was also very aggressive in her cross examination of Madhukar Sarpotdar (Sena leader in Lok Sabha),'' said Yusuf Muchhala, victims' advocate in the Commission.

In fact, Bhagwat was so forceful that a battery of Sena lawyersand government pleaders used to target her all the time, but she she stood up to it, say advocates who also pleaded cases in the Commission. However, Bhagwat ran into problems with Justice B.N. Srikrishna towards the end of her brief. While cross-examining Sarpotdar, the judge asked her to tone down her voice.

She reportedly answered back and quit the Commission soon after.

Her contribution was important, say fellow advocates because the Sena was ``attempting to doctor witnesses'' in the Hari Masjid case. Even her adversaries have said that she was extremely forthright in her criticism of the Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Accused of being a Communist, she had said ``This is because of my role as the CPI counsel before the Srikrishna Commission (on the 1992-93 Mumbai riots) which got the saffron parties fixed''.

``If pleading for textile, handloom or powerloom workers or for minimum wages or providing legal advice to the poor who cannot afford it is to become a communist, that is why I ambeing labelled as one,'' she said, adding that the ruling parties are ``reeling under the McCarthyist syndrome as was being done in the '40s and '50s in the United States to hound out communists and other anti-establishment forces.''