ID :
37197
Thu, 12/25/2008 - 06:11
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/37197
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Govt rejects Antulay's conspiracy theory on Karkare killing
New Delhi, Dec 23 (PTI) Government of India Tuesday
rejected the conspiracy theory propounded by Union Minister A
R Antulay over the death of Hemant Karkare, saying questions
raised about the circumstances in which the former Maharashtra
ATS chief was killed are "wrong and deeply regrettable".
Making a statement in the Lok Sabha in the wake of
persisting demands by the Opposition after Antulay made the
controversial remarks last week, Home Minister P Chidambaram
said there is "no truth in the different versions that have
been circulated about the movement of Karkare on that fateful
day."
Amid slogan-shouting by the National Democratic Alliance
(NDA) members, Chidambaram gave details of sequence of events
that led to the killing of Karkare and other two officers when
terrorists struck in Mumbai on November 26.
"The investigators have reached the conclusion that there
is no truth whatsoever in the suspicion that there was a
conspiracy to eliminate Shri Karkare or others," the Home
Minister said.
"There is no truth in the different versions that have
been circulated about the movement of Karkare on that fateful
day," he asserted, rejecting the theory of conspiracy
propounded by Antulay who has questioned who sent the
Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief to Cama Hospital and demanded
an inquiry into it.
"In the days before his death, questions were raised
about the genuineness of the investigations that were being
conducted by Shri Karkare in a terrorist case. After his
death, questions are being raised about the circumstances in
which he was killed. In my view, both are wrong and deeply
regrettable," Chidambaram said.
As Chidambaram was about to make the statement on
'circumstances leading to the death of Shri Hemant Karkare and
other officers of the Mumbai Police', Leader of Opposition L K
Advani raised objection, saying the opposition's demand was a
statement not on the circumstances but on Antulay's comments.
"The House is agitated by the statement made by Antulay
and not due to the circumstances leading to the death of
Karkare," the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said.
Speaker Somnath Chatterjee asked Advani to allow the Home
Minister to make the statement first and then comment on it.
However, Chatterjee's repeated pleas failed to persuade
Advani and the Speaker asked Chidambaram to make the
statement.
This prompted Advani to lead a walkout of BJP and other
associate members of NDA.
"They have a right to walk out. I can't stop them. It is
their democratic right," the Speaker said while the BJP and
associate members left the House.
Soon after the Home Minister started reading out his
statement, the BJP and other NDA members returned to the
House, shouting slogans.
As the slogan-shouting continued, the Speaker asked
Chidambaram, who was half-way through his statement, to lay
the statement on the table of the House and adjourned the
House for nearly two hours till 2 pm.
In the statement, Chidambaram said the investigators had
arrived at the conclusion that there was no conspiracy to kill
Karkare on the basis of three eye-witnesses, including Ajmal
Amir, the terrorist who was involved in the attack and was
apprehended from the scene of the crime.
Other two eye-witnesses were Arun Jadhav, a police naik
who was also travelling along with Karkare and two other
officers in the Qualis vehicle, and Maruti Madhavrao Phad, the
driver of a government vehicle provided for the use of
Maharashtra Principal Secretary (Health), he said.
"The investigators have reconstructed the sequence of
events by talking to a number of people including police
officers and policemen who were present at different
locations," the Home Minister said citing report from
Maharashtra government.
"The investigators have reached the conclusion that Shri
Karkare took the most convenient route from his residence at
Dadar (East) to the CST Railway Station and after conferring
with the police officers at the Railway Station, decided to
proceed to Cama Hospital," he said.
Giving details of the sequence of events, Chidambaram
said Karkare reached his residence at around 21.45 hours and
shortly thereafter received information over phone from
Tondwalkar, Inspector-in-charge of the control room about the
attack at CST Railway Station.
Karkare alerted his staff and within minutes, he and his
team (one Sub-Inspector and four constables) took a Balero
jeep and rushed towards the CST station, the Home Minister
said.
"Before they reached the CST, they found that the road
had been blocked due to a 'nakabandi' (police barricade).
Hence, Shri Karkare and his team walked from that point to the
CST," he said.
K P Raghuvanshi, Additional Director General of Police,
Railways, and some other officers met Karkare there and they
informed him that two terrorists, after opening indiscriminate
fire inside the railway station, had fled towards a lane
called Anjuman Lane between the Times of India building and
Anjuman Islam High School, he said.
"Immediately, Shri Karkare put on his bullet-proof jacket
and helmet and along with his team rushed in the direction in
which the terrorists had fled. Shri Karkare and his team
reached the rear gate of Cama Hospital. They heard the noise
of exchange of fire as well as blast of grenades. They took
cover position behind the rear gate," Chidambaram said.
At the rear gate of Cama Hospital, Karkare was joined by
two other officers Ashok Kamte and Vijay Salaskar, the Home
Minister said.
Chidamabarm, who laid an identical statement in Rajya
Sabha, said "While it is indeed unfortunate that three brave
officers and their men boarded one Qualis vehicle, the
circumstances in which they came under fire and were killed
were tragically fortuitous."
The Home Minister said the facts showed that Karkare,
Kamte and Salaskar converged at the rear gate of Cama Hospital
through "independent routes".
While the three were discussing the situation amongst
themselves, Telekar, wireless operator attached to Additional
Commissioner of Police Sadanand Date came out of the Cama
Hospital with injuries and informed them that Date had been
injured in the exchange of gunfire with terrorists inside the
complex, Chidambaram said.
There was some firing from the terrace of the Cama
Hospital but suddenly there was silence, he said narrating the
developments that took place in Mumbai on November 26 when 10
heavily-armed terrorists struck in the financial capital.
"This was followed by the sound of firing from the
direction of St Xavier's College. Shri Karkare directed his
team to take position at the same spot and, accompanied by
Shri Kamte and Shri Salaskar, got into the police jeep, a
Qualis vehicle, belonging to the ACP Pydhonie Division and
drove in the direction of St Xavier's College," he said.
"Arun Jadhav, the surviving policeman, has stated that
the Qualis was passing the ATM centre of a bank located on
Rang Bhawan Lane, off the Badruddin Tayyabji Marg, when two
terrorists opened indiscriminate fire from behind the bushes
on the other side of the lane.
"One of the occupants of the Qualis vehicle returned the
fire which caused injuries to the hand of one of the
terrorists (later identified as Mohd Ajmal Amir). Shri
Karkare, Shri Kamte, Shri Salaskar and three others were
gravely injured," he said.
"The two terrorists pulled out the three injured officers
from the front and middle seats and hijacked the Qualis
vehicle along with the four men whom the terrorists believed
were dead. Shri Arun Jadhav was covered by the bodies of his
three colleagues and thus remained undetected," Chidambaram
said.
Chidambaram said Ajmal Amir has corroborated the portion
of the story where he and his companion opened fire on a
Qualis vehicle, believed that all the occupants had been
killed and hijacked the vehicle.
Phad had witnessed the incident from a close distance and
is witness to the movements of the two terrorists who took
cover behind some bushes and fired on the Qualis vehicle,
pulled out three injured men and eventually hijacked it, he
said.
Chidambaram appealed to members of Parliament and "fellow
citizens that this is time to salute the dedication and
bravery of the police officers and their men. This is the time
to help their families, especially their children, to cope
with the tragedy. This is the time for the whole country to
stand united and carry on a determined fight against terror."
PTI AKK
RKM
rejected the conspiracy theory propounded by Union Minister A
R Antulay over the death of Hemant Karkare, saying questions
raised about the circumstances in which the former Maharashtra
ATS chief was killed are "wrong and deeply regrettable".
Making a statement in the Lok Sabha in the wake of
persisting demands by the Opposition after Antulay made the
controversial remarks last week, Home Minister P Chidambaram
said there is "no truth in the different versions that have
been circulated about the movement of Karkare on that fateful
day."
Amid slogan-shouting by the National Democratic Alliance
(NDA) members, Chidambaram gave details of sequence of events
that led to the killing of Karkare and other two officers when
terrorists struck in Mumbai on November 26.
"The investigators have reached the conclusion that there
is no truth whatsoever in the suspicion that there was a
conspiracy to eliminate Shri Karkare or others," the Home
Minister said.
"There is no truth in the different versions that have
been circulated about the movement of Karkare on that fateful
day," he asserted, rejecting the theory of conspiracy
propounded by Antulay who has questioned who sent the
Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief to Cama Hospital and demanded
an inquiry into it.
"In the days before his death, questions were raised
about the genuineness of the investigations that were being
conducted by Shri Karkare in a terrorist case. After his
death, questions are being raised about the circumstances in
which he was killed. In my view, both are wrong and deeply
regrettable," Chidambaram said.
As Chidambaram was about to make the statement on
'circumstances leading to the death of Shri Hemant Karkare and
other officers of the Mumbai Police', Leader of Opposition L K
Advani raised objection, saying the opposition's demand was a
statement not on the circumstances but on Antulay's comments.
"The House is agitated by the statement made by Antulay
and not due to the circumstances leading to the death of
Karkare," the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said.
Speaker Somnath Chatterjee asked Advani to allow the Home
Minister to make the statement first and then comment on it.
However, Chatterjee's repeated pleas failed to persuade
Advani and the Speaker asked Chidambaram to make the
statement.
This prompted Advani to lead a walkout of BJP and other
associate members of NDA.
"They have a right to walk out. I can't stop them. It is
their democratic right," the Speaker said while the BJP and
associate members left the House.
Soon after the Home Minister started reading out his
statement, the BJP and other NDA members returned to the
House, shouting slogans.
As the slogan-shouting continued, the Speaker asked
Chidambaram, who was half-way through his statement, to lay
the statement on the table of the House and adjourned the
House for nearly two hours till 2 pm.
In the statement, Chidambaram said the investigators had
arrived at the conclusion that there was no conspiracy to kill
Karkare on the basis of three eye-witnesses, including Ajmal
Amir, the terrorist who was involved in the attack and was
apprehended from the scene of the crime.
Other two eye-witnesses were Arun Jadhav, a police naik
who was also travelling along with Karkare and two other
officers in the Qualis vehicle, and Maruti Madhavrao Phad, the
driver of a government vehicle provided for the use of
Maharashtra Principal Secretary (Health), he said.
"The investigators have reconstructed the sequence of
events by talking to a number of people including police
officers and policemen who were present at different
locations," the Home Minister said citing report from
Maharashtra government.
"The investigators have reached the conclusion that Shri
Karkare took the most convenient route from his residence at
Dadar (East) to the CST Railway Station and after conferring
with the police officers at the Railway Station, decided to
proceed to Cama Hospital," he said.
Giving details of the sequence of events, Chidambaram
said Karkare reached his residence at around 21.45 hours and
shortly thereafter received information over phone from
Tondwalkar, Inspector-in-charge of the control room about the
attack at CST Railway Station.
Karkare alerted his staff and within minutes, he and his
team (one Sub-Inspector and four constables) took a Balero
jeep and rushed towards the CST station, the Home Minister
said.
"Before they reached the CST, they found that the road
had been blocked due to a 'nakabandi' (police barricade).
Hence, Shri Karkare and his team walked from that point to the
CST," he said.
K P Raghuvanshi, Additional Director General of Police,
Railways, and some other officers met Karkare there and they
informed him that two terrorists, after opening indiscriminate
fire inside the railway station, had fled towards a lane
called Anjuman Lane between the Times of India building and
Anjuman Islam High School, he said.
"Immediately, Shri Karkare put on his bullet-proof jacket
and helmet and along with his team rushed in the direction in
which the terrorists had fled. Shri Karkare and his team
reached the rear gate of Cama Hospital. They heard the noise
of exchange of fire as well as blast of grenades. They took
cover position behind the rear gate," Chidambaram said.
At the rear gate of Cama Hospital, Karkare was joined by
two other officers Ashok Kamte and Vijay Salaskar, the Home
Minister said.
Chidamabarm, who laid an identical statement in Rajya
Sabha, said "While it is indeed unfortunate that three brave
officers and their men boarded one Qualis vehicle, the
circumstances in which they came under fire and were killed
were tragically fortuitous."
The Home Minister said the facts showed that Karkare,
Kamte and Salaskar converged at the rear gate of Cama Hospital
through "independent routes".
While the three were discussing the situation amongst
themselves, Telekar, wireless operator attached to Additional
Commissioner of Police Sadanand Date came out of the Cama
Hospital with injuries and informed them that Date had been
injured in the exchange of gunfire with terrorists inside the
complex, Chidambaram said.
There was some firing from the terrace of the Cama
Hospital but suddenly there was silence, he said narrating the
developments that took place in Mumbai on November 26 when 10
heavily-armed terrorists struck in the financial capital.
"This was followed by the sound of firing from the
direction of St Xavier's College. Shri Karkare directed his
team to take position at the same spot and, accompanied by
Shri Kamte and Shri Salaskar, got into the police jeep, a
Qualis vehicle, belonging to the ACP Pydhonie Division and
drove in the direction of St Xavier's College," he said.
"Arun Jadhav, the surviving policeman, has stated that
the Qualis was passing the ATM centre of a bank located on
Rang Bhawan Lane, off the Badruddin Tayyabji Marg, when two
terrorists opened indiscriminate fire from behind the bushes
on the other side of the lane.
"One of the occupants of the Qualis vehicle returned the
fire which caused injuries to the hand of one of the
terrorists (later identified as Mohd Ajmal Amir). Shri
Karkare, Shri Kamte, Shri Salaskar and three others were
gravely injured," he said.
"The two terrorists pulled out the three injured officers
from the front and middle seats and hijacked the Qualis
vehicle along with the four men whom the terrorists believed
were dead. Shri Arun Jadhav was covered by the bodies of his
three colleagues and thus remained undetected," Chidambaram
said.
Chidambaram said Ajmal Amir has corroborated the portion
of the story where he and his companion opened fire on a
Qualis vehicle, believed that all the occupants had been
killed and hijacked the vehicle.
Phad had witnessed the incident from a close distance and
is witness to the movements of the two terrorists who took
cover behind some bushes and fired on the Qualis vehicle,
pulled out three injured men and eventually hijacked it, he
said.
Chidambaram appealed to members of Parliament and "fellow
citizens that this is time to salute the dedication and
bravery of the police officers and their men. This is the time
to help their families, especially their children, to cope
with the tragedy. This is the time for the whole country to
stand united and carry on a determined fight against terror."
PTI AKK
RKM
