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New Delhi: PV Narasimha Rao, Prime Minister

Ayodhya 6 December 1992 was released in 2006 after the death of Rao, India’s first PM to head a single-party minority government and one reputed to speak at least six languages fluently. But his felicity with language could not help him explain his actions on the Babri Mosque issue. In his book, Rao maintains that his hands were bound by the Constitution and he could not have dismissed the BJP state government. He says he was misled by the Kalyan Singh government but his critics say the intelligence was either lax or ignored. Most importantly, the National Integration Council meeting held on November 23, 1992, unanimously approved a four-line resolution moved by CPM’s HKS Surjeet, to “extend its whole-hearted support and cooperation in whatever steps the PM considers essential in upholding the Constitution and the rule of law and in implementing the Court orders”. This, his critics say, was ignored and he allowed the mosque to be demolished. The Liberhan Report, however, despite examining him twice, does not hold him responsible.

SB Chavan, home minister

Shankarrao Bhaurao Chavan has served twice as CM of Maharashtra but is best known as the home minister at the Centre when the Babri Masjid was demolished. The most sensational quote of the time was what he gave to now-MP Rajiv Shukla on his TV show when he said that, “on finding out about the trouble in Ayodhya that morning, I went to the PM’s house. He was watching TV. I too started watching, and in that time, the demolition was complete”.

Madhav Godbole, home secretary

Pune-based Madhav Godbole was the “good chap” of the pack, say his contemporaries and juniors. Godbole submitted his resignation in March 1993, shortly after the blasts that rocked Mumbai. He went onto write the first of his many books, Unfinished Innings, where he spoke of the “great damage to India”, both, when the mosque was brought down in 1992 and when the bombs went off in 1993. Indicating a clear division in the Rao government of the approach to the Babri issue vis-a-vis the handling of the Kalyan Singh government, he admitted,

“We had prepared a contingency plan in the Home Ministry and we had prepared reports to persuade the government to dismiss the UP government.”

SVM Tripathi, DGP, UP