Liberhan Report is in, 17 years later

Almost 17 years after it was set up to probe the ?sequence of events leading, and all facts and circumstances relating to, the occurrences at Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid complex on December 6, 1992?, the one-member Justice M S Liberhan Commission finally submitted its report to the Union government.

The demolition had triggered widespread communal violence in the country and led to the loss of many lives.

Accompanied by commission counsel Harpreet Singh Giani, Liberhan handed over the four-volume report to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the morning. It is learnt that a copy of the report has been forwarded to the Union home ministry for action.

Sources in the commission confirmed that the report comes down heavily on the then UP government of Kalyan Singh for failing to prevent demolition of the Babri Masjid.

?The commission has also taken a negative view of the failure of the then Congress government at the Centre led by P V Narasimha Rao in protecting the disputed structure,? a source associated with the commission said.

Commission functionaries, however, refused to say whether or not BJP leader L K Advani, over whose role Liberhan and previous commission counsel Anupam Gupta had a bitter fall-out, has been indicted.

Liberhan had also been mandated to probe the role played by Kalyan Singh, his ministerial colleagues, officials of the UP government and by individuals, concerned agencies and organisations in bringing down the structure.

He was also to probe deficiencies in security measures and attack on mediapersons on the fateful day.

Set up on December 16, 1992, by the Central government, the Liberhan Commission received a whopping 48 extensions, with Muslim organisations and NGOs being critical of it for failing to submit its report in a time-bound manner.

Asked what took him so long, this is what Liberhan said, ?I have written the reasons in my report. Beyond that I will not say anything.?

Saying that he was ?independent? and ?relieved? after submitting the report, he said, ?I didn’t have any pressure from anybody.?