New Delhi, July 01: Seventeen years after it was set up, the Liberhan Commission of Enquiry, probing into the circumstances leading to the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, submitted its final report to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The report is believed to have indicted some of the key BJP, VHP and Bajrang Dal functionaries for their roles on December 6, 1992, the day the masjid was razed to the ground by a frenzied mob of kar sevaks, sources said.
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, who was present when Justice (retired)M S Liberhan submitted the report, said the findings would be tabled in Parliament. The Centre was expected to also place an Action Taken Report (ATR) after studying the report and identifying the “actionable parts”.
Sources told Deccan Herald “legal action may be taken in due course of time”. The report is learnt to have identified top BJP, VHP and Bajrang Dal, for being present when the kar sevaks brought the masjid down as also for the statements they made during the ‘the day’. BJP leaders L K Advani, M M Joshi, and Uma Bharti and then Bajrang Dal chief Vinay Katiyar and several VHP leaders were present near the masjid on December 6 and witnessed the demolition by “an uncontrollable” crowd running into several thousands.
Advani later sought to describe the destruction of the masjid as ‘the saddest day’ of his
life. The Liberhan Commission is believed to have extensively described ‘the build up’ that culminated in the events of December 6, 1992.
Cross-examination
The Commission had cross-examined former BJP chief minister of UP Kalyan Singh and another key BJP leader when the demolition took place. Singh’s submission was the longest by any witness before the commission.
Subsequently, the BJP came to power in the Centre, Singh had rebelled against the party, re-joined it and then finally quit this year. The Commission is understood to have taken note of the public comments which quoted some BJP leaders having played indirect role in the events that led to the masjid’s demolition. Singh had changed his stand on the issue according to his “hot and cold ties” with the BJP.
“It was a conspiracy against me by the BJP leaders. It was a conspiracy to oust me. I was kept in the dark (about the demolition),” Singh said while campaigning as an Independent candidate from Etah Lok Sabha seat in UP recently. Soon after the demolition in Ayodhya, he had blamed the Congress government for the destruction.
The Commission, constituted within the ten days of the demolition, was initially expected to submit its report in one year’s time. As the proceedings under Justice (retd)Liberhan began and witnesses called, the commission was given 48 extensions.
The unusually long tenure of the commission, constituted by then primeminister PV Narasimha Rao, makes it the longest Commission of Enquiry in the country. Asked why it took so long to submit his report, Jusitce Liberhan blamed ”non-cooperation and repeat court stays” taken by the witnesses.
He said it was upto the government to place the report before Parliament along with the ATR.
In all the commission held 399 hearings since 1992 The commission recorded the statements of several politicians, bureaucrats and police officials.Among the high profile leaders who deposed before the commission were Narasimha Rao, Advani, Kalyan Singh, Murli Manohar Joshi,Uma Bharati and former UP chiefminister Mulayam Singh Yadav.
The CBI is conducting a parallel investigation into the case with the Allahabad High Court having already framed charges against Advani, Joshi, Bharati,Katiyar,VHP’s
Ashok Singhal and other leaders from “the saffron Parivar”.
-Agencies