Wadettiwar’s statement on Hemant Karkare’s killing rakes up old grave
Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar sparked controversy by declaring that Karkare was not killed by Pakistani terrorists in 2008 but by an RSS-linked cop
MUMBAI: Special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam’s candidature from Mumbai North Central as a BJP candidate has once again raked up the issue of the killing of top cop Hemant Karkare in the 26/11 terror attack on Mumbai. On Thursday, Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar sparked a huge controversy by declaring that Karkare was not killed by Pakistani terrorists in 2008 but by an RSS-linked police officer.
“This has been mentioned even in the investigation report, despite which the fact was hidden by special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam,” said Wadettiwar during a speech at Nagpur. “It is an anti-national act and the BJP is shielding it by giving candidature to Nikam.”
Why did Wadettiwar say this?
The Congress leader’s statement was derived from a 2011 book titled ‘Who Killed Karkare?’ by former IGP S M Mushrif. In it, the author claimed that the 26/11 attack was “allowed to happen” to eliminate ATS chief Karkare, who was investigating the 2006 Malegaon blasts case in which right-wing activists Pragya Singh Thakur, Lt Colonel Prasad Purohit and Sameer Kulkarni were accused.
What is the Malegaon blasts case?
The blasts, near a Muslim cemetery, were allegedly meant to target Malegaon’s Muslims on their holy day, Shab-e-Baraat. Six people were killed and 101 injured in the explosions. The ATS’s first breakthrough came when the engine number of the motorcycle used in the blast was found to be registered in Pragya Thakur’s name. The ATS said that Col Purohit played a key role in the formation of Abhinav Bharat, the right-wing organisation that purportedly planned the blast and supplied RDX for it.
After Col Purohit and 10 other people were arrested between October and November 2008, BJP, RSS and Vishwa Hindu Parishad leaders accused the ATS of being on a witch-hunt. Some even demanded that ATS officers be subjected to narco-analysis to establish their motives.
What were Mushrif’s sources?
Mushrif told HT that his book was based on documents that he collected from the chargesheets, court orders, part of the log book collected by the wife of slain IPS officer Ashok Kamate and deposition documents. “Even the post-mortem report and court order stated that Karkare was not killed by Kasab or Abu Ismail,” he said. “The bullets were from the gun of the RSS-linked police officer to eliminate Karkare for his action against the Malegaon blast accused.”
Mushrif claimed that the Intelligence Bureau had inputs on the potential terror attack, but the then joint director, Prabhakar Alok, did not pass these on to the agencies, allowing the terror attack to happen. “Nikam failed to ensure that all these facts were brought up and is thus party to the offence,” he said.
Are the allegations unfounded?
When questioned, Nikam said that Mushrif’s allegations were baseless. “Just imagine what Pakistan’s reaction would have been, had he said all this when the hearing was on,” he said. Nikam claimed that he did not know the status of the Malegaon blasts case during the pendency of the Kasab case. “Often investigation officers claim tall things, but they do not reflect in the actual chargesheet,” he said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) deputy leader Kiran Mane, whose social media post on the subject went viral, said he had highlighted Nikam’s links with the ruling alliance and appealed to people to consciously analyse his actions in the past. “It is important to check if, as a law officer, his acts of commission or omission were in favour of any particular party or organisation,” he said. “When I look back now, I also found his expert comments on the split in the Shiv Sena biased in favour of the ruling parties. Nikam is one of those government servants who are rewarded after retirement for favours done to the government during their tenure.”
What action has the BJP taken?
Meanwhile, the BJP has filed a complaint with the Election Commission of India against Wadettiwar for a “misleading and inflammatory” statement. Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar, in his complaint to the poll body, said that Wadettiwar’s statement propagated false narratives and could incite communal tension.
Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis spun the controversy as Wadettiwar being concerned about Ujjwal Nikam insulting Kasab. “Kasab terrorised the city and the Congress is worried about him,” he said. “Now it’s time for the people to decide who they should vote for.”
What is the Congress reaction?
The backlash from people has led the Congress to downplay the whole controversy. On Sunday Wadettiwar said that he was merely citing Mushrif’s book and what the court had stated on Page 220 of its order. On Monday, he declared that the subject was a closed chapter.
A state Congress leader said that the central leadership had directed the party to not blow up the issue anymore. “It is going against us and unnecessarily fanning the Hindutva agenda,” he said. “We have been asked to maintain silence.”