Indian gov't tables probe report on mosque demolition 17 years ago
Indian gov't tables probe report on mosque demolition 17 years ago
08:09, November 25, 2009 
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The Indian government Tuesday tabled in Parliament a report of a fact-finding probe committee on the demolition of a mosque by Hindu fundamentalists in the northern Indian holy town of Ayodhya 17 years ago.
The site of the 16th century Babri Masjid had been a focus for Hindu-Muslim hostility for decades. On Dec. 6, 1992, a Hindu mob tore the mosque down and over 2,000 people died in riots across India in the aftermath of its demolition.
The report of the Justice Liberhan Commission, tabled by Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram, has described the demolition as "a tailor-made exercise" fueled and executed by opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The Commission has indicted 68 people, including senior leaders of the BJP such as Leader of Opposition L.K. Advani and former Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, for their role in bringing down the mosque.
Kalyan Singh, who was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh during the mosque demolition, has come under the harshest criticism in the report. He is accused of posting bureaucrats and police officers who would stay silent during the mosque demolition in Ayodhya.
"The Chief Minister and his cabinet were the proverbial insiders who caused the collapse of the entire system," the report said.
The report said that the then central government led by ruling Congress's Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao could not act in the absence of any recommendation from the governor of the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
Though the Justice Liberhan Commission report has not recommended punitive action against anyone for the demolition of the Babri Masjid, it has called for a new law to punish people using religion for political ends.
Commenting on the action report prepared on the basis of the suggestions of the Liberhan Commission, Indian Law Minister Veerappa Moily said: "The report has indicted 68 people, but the procedure to deal with such kind of report is based on circumstances. If there are other materials or facts available where we need to take some more action, it can be done in due course of time."
However, the opposition BJP has slammed the government over the timing of the report, saying that it is an attempt to deflect focus from other issues like the political scams.
The opposition also demanded that the government must probe into who leaked the report Monday to the media and punish the responsible.
BJP President Rajnath Singh said that the Home Minister should take responsibility of the leakage of the report.
"Who leaked the report? There should be a probe into the leaking of the Liberhan Commission report. The Home Minister should take moral responsibility for the leak. Report into the leak must be finalized before the Winter session," he said.
Source: Xinhua
The site of the 16th century Babri Masjid had been a focus for Hindu-Muslim hostility for decades. On Dec. 6, 1992, a Hindu mob tore the mosque down and over 2,000 people died in riots across India in the aftermath of its demolition.
The report of the Justice Liberhan Commission, tabled by Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram, has described the demolition as "a tailor-made exercise" fueled and executed by opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The Commission has indicted 68 people, including senior leaders of the BJP such as Leader of Opposition L.K. Advani and former Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, for their role in bringing down the mosque.
Kalyan Singh, who was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh during the mosque demolition, has come under the harshest criticism in the report. He is accused of posting bureaucrats and police officers who would stay silent during the mosque demolition in Ayodhya.
"The Chief Minister and his cabinet were the proverbial insiders who caused the collapse of the entire system," the report said.
The report said that the then central government led by ruling Congress's Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao could not act in the absence of any recommendation from the governor of the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
Though the Justice Liberhan Commission report has not recommended punitive action against anyone for the demolition of the Babri Masjid, it has called for a new law to punish people using religion for political ends.
Commenting on the action report prepared on the basis of the suggestions of the Liberhan Commission, Indian Law Minister Veerappa Moily said: "The report has indicted 68 people, but the procedure to deal with such kind of report is based on circumstances. If there are other materials or facts available where we need to take some more action, it can be done in due course of time."
However, the opposition BJP has slammed the government over the timing of the report, saying that it is an attempt to deflect focus from other issues like the political scams.
The opposition also demanded that the government must probe into who leaked the report Monday to the media and punish the responsible.
BJP President Rajnath Singh said that the Home Minister should take responsibility of the leakage of the report.
"Who leaked the report? There should be a probe into the leaking of the Liberhan Commission report. The Home Minister should take moral responsibility for the leak. Report into the leak must be finalized before the Winter session," he said.
Source: Xinhua
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