Let Gujarat woman in snooping row speak: Khurshid

New Delhi – Casting aspersions on an inquiry ordered by the Gujarat government, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid Tuesday said the woman in the snooping row must give her version.

“Why is everybody speaking on behalf of the girl? She would have to come and say ‘Well, I wanted to stay under surveillance as I don’t trust myself.’ Would she be able to say that?” Khurshid asked.

“The girl should come forward, not her father,” he told a television news channel here.

Khurshid also suggested that the Gujarat gover! nment’s decision to set up a commission of inquiry to probe allegations! that the woman was kept under watch could be aimed at foiling any other investigation.

“So many inquiries have been going on in Gujarat since (the) 2002 (communal violence), but we haven’t got much satisfaction from that,” the Congress leader said.

“It will be premature to say that just because they (Gujarat government) have ordered an inquiry, all is well.

“Sometimes an inquiry is also ordered to forestall another and to prevent any other inquiry being held. I don’t want to prematurely comment. Let us see what comes of that (inquiry)”.

The Gujarat government Monday announced an inquiry, headed by a retired woman judge, to probe allegations that the woman, said to be an architect, was stalked by the state police in 2009.

The issue has escalated into a political row, with critics asking Chief Minister Narendra Modi to answer charges if he ordered police to keep the woman under surveillance.

Khurshid said the fact was that nobody was! denying that the snooping took place.