Babri report indicts Advani, Vajpayee
Liberhan exonerates Narasimha Rao, says Kalyan diluted security
Senior BJP leaders Atal Behari Vajpayee, L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Vinay Katiyar and Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray have been indicted by the Justice M S Liberhan Commission for their “individual culpability” for “leading the country towards communal discord”.
In all, the commission held 68 political leaders (BJP and Shiv Sena) and leaders of the RSS, Bajrang Dal and the VHP and also top civil and police officials accountable for the incidents leading to the demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992.
Shankersinh Vaghela, former Gujarat chief minister and now a Congress leader, has also been indicted by the commission.
The commission’s report, which was tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, had a brief ‘to ascertain events, facts and circumstances leading to the demolition’ of the masjid.
Kalyan Singh, who was the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh at the time of the demolition, has been indicted for “diluting security” around the structure. The destruction of the disputed structure was carried out in a ‘duplicitous and under-handed manner’ which was not worthy of a democratically elected government, said the report.
Kalyan Singh assumed chief ministership on June 26, 1991, and went along with Joshi to Ayodhya and took a vow to build a temple there. “The sleepy town not only became religiously hyperactive but the whole state appeared to be in sync with the fervour built up by the party affiliate and religious activists,” the report said.
Uma Bharti—another former BJP leader—has also come under fire from the commission.
The report does not blame the then Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao saying he was heading “a minority government” and had difficulty in sending Central forces or imposing governor’s rule for want of relevant inputs from the governor.
The commission, however, ruled that President’s rule should have been imposed on UP.
