Special CBI team to probe role of Chandra Swami, Subramanian Swamy, Karunanidhi in Rajiv assassination
A special agency will be set up at the Central Bureau of Investigation to probe the alleged ''involvement and complicity'' of tantrik
Chandra Swami, the ''role'' of Janata Party president Dr Subramanian Swamy and recommend how
to proceed further against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi
for his alleged ''tacit support to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.''
This is stated in the ''memorandum of action taken on the final
report of the Justice Milap Chand Jain Commission of Inquiry'' into the Rajiv Gandhi assassination conspiracy case.
Both the memorandum and the final report of the Commission were
tabled in both Houses of Parliament by Home Minister Lal Kishinchand Advani
today.
According to the memorandum, the government will set up a
''multi-disciplinary monitoring agency in the CBI'' to monitor
the movements of all the absconding accused in the Rajiv Gandhi
assassination case and bring them to trial.
It would undertake further inquiry into the ''activities of those
individuals against whom it has been so decided in the memorandum of action and look into any other related matter that may emerge in the future.''
Justice Jain in his final report has stated that Karunanidhi was not interrogated in the case, though ''on many matters his interrogation was quite relevant.''
According to the memorandum, the
Commission ''has made serious observations'' on Karunanidhi's role in its interim report.
The Commission has stated that ''from the evaluation of the material
the conclusion is irresistible that there was tacit support to the
LTTE by Mr M Karunanidhi and his government and law enforcement agencies.''
''Taking such observations in the interim report into
consideration together with the misgivings expressed by the
Commission in its final report, the government has decided to
entrust the multi-disciplinary monitoring agency with the
responsibility to decide how to proceed in the matter,'' the
memorandum said.
On Dr Swamy, the memorandum said that, according to the Commission, he had thwarted it from finding out the truth by his ''consistent and persistent effort... not to answer the questions which are most relevant.''
The monitoring agency, ''therefore, would be required to make
further enquiries about Dr Swamy's role, his visit to London
along with Chandra Swami which the Commission has described as a 'mystery'.''
According to the memorandum, from the records available there is
evidence to show that Chandra Swami and Dr Swamy visited London
during June and July 1995.
On the Commission's remark that there was the possibility of a foreign hand behind the LTTE in the assassination, the memorandum said the government would have it examined ''in depth'' through the ministries of external affairs and home and the intelligence agencies.
On Chandra Swami, the Commission said, ''Taking the entire
evidence, material and circumstances brought on record into
consideration, a doubt does arise regarding Chandra Swami's
complicity and involvement. So the matter requires further probe.''
The memorandum said, ''The government accepts this recommendation of the Commission that Chandra Swami's alleged involvement and complicity should be probed further'' by the monitoring agency.
The government was already probing the monetary transactions of
Chandra Swami. ''The probe will continue and necessary action will be taken for offences that may come to light as a result of the probe.
This will also be covered by the charter of the monitoring agency.''
The Commission rejected the theory of former Union minister K K
Tewary regarding the role of former prime ministers V P
Singh, Chandra Shekhar and P V Narasimha Rao.
According to Tewary, the three leaders had close association
with those persons who were supposed to have masterminded the
conspiracy -- Chandra Swami, Dr Swamy and O P Chautala, son of
former deputy prime minister Devi Lal. They had at different points
of time in their own ways acted and performed their assigned tasks.
The Commission, however, dismissed the theory ''as a figment of
his imagination.''
On the controversial observation in the interim report that the
''assassination of Rajiv Gandhi would not have been possible the way
it was materialised without the deep nexus of LTTE operatives with
the Tamils in Tamil Nadu,'' the Commission said the expression was
never intended to include all the Tamil-speaking population.
''Support of the Tamil cause is different from having deep nexus with
the LTTE operatives in the materialisation of the assassination,''
the Commission said.
''By no stretch of imagination such a meaning or sense can be
given to the expression as has been given to it.''
The Commission has in its final report fully endorsed and commended the Special Investigation Team for its investigation into the assassination case.
UNI
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