Panel wants Babri case reopened

Lucknow: The Babri Masjid Action Committee (BMAC) yesterday sought action against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L. K. Advani and others who it said were to blame for the razing of the Babri mosque.

But the BMAC appeared to be soft on former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who too has been reportedly indicted in the Liberhan Commission of Inquiry into the Babri 1992 demolition according to leaked media reports.

"In view of the Liberhan report, it would be pertinent to reopen the criminal charges against Advani and seven others that were dropped by a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court a few years ago", BMAC convenor Zafaryab Jilani said.

Even as the case was still on, the court had dropped charges of ‘criminal conspiracy' against eight of the 39 prominent accused, mostly connected to the BJP and allied bodies including Rashtriya Swaymsewak Sangh (RSS) and Bajrang Dal.

"Now that the Liberhan Commission had clearly indicted Advani and all others, it would be appropriate for the CBI court to also use the evidence available with the Commission," he said.

Defensive

Interestingly, Jilani remained on the defensive when a reporter sought his comment on the Liberhan Commission's allegation about the "dubious" role of certain Muslim organisations, including BMAC.

"Since I have not seen the report, I would not like to make any comment on that. But if there is something genuine, I would not hesitate to accept our fault," he said.

"However... we have been making our appearances before the Commission from day one and I fail to understand what the Commission meant by hinting about our unsatisfactory role.

"As for Vajpayee...he had as much role in the act as others. In fact, just a day before the demolition, Vajpayee stated that since the Supreme Court had granted permission to go up to the disputed site, he would...level the ground," Jilani said.