Table Liberhan report in parliament: Babri Masjid Action Committee
June 30th, 2009 - 5:30 pm ICT by IANS
New Delhi, June 30 (IANS) The government should table in parliament the report of the Liberhan Commission probing the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition, the Babri Masjid Action Committee (BMAC) demanded Tuesday while the Jama Masjid’s chief cleric said taking 17 years to submit the findings amounted to “befooling Muslims”.
The commission, mandated to investigate the demolition of the mosque that led to widespread communal violence, submitted its report to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday, 17 years after it was set up.
“I appeal to the government to table the report in the parliament and take concrete action within three months,” said Zafaryab Jilani, convener of the Babri Masjid Action Committee.
He blamed both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the delay in the report.
“Both the BJP and the Congress came to power after the commission was formed but then also it took 17 years to submit the report. I have come to know that the commission had completed its work in 2006, but the Congress delayed it because of the adverse consequences that the party might face in Lok Sabha elections if the report had held P.V. Narasimha Rao also responsible for the demolition of the Masjid,” Jilani told IANS.
Rao was the prime minister of the Congress-led government when the Babri Masjid was demolished.
Head cleric of Jama Masjid, Syed Ahmad Bukhari, said the long time taken by the commission, which got 48 extensions, was a perfect case of justice delayed amounting to justice denied.
“The Liberhan Commission was formed on Dec 16, 1992 but it took 17 years to submit the report; this is befooling Muslims and a perfect example that justice delayed means justice denied,” Bukhari told IANS.
He said only after seeing the contents of the report would it be known “whether the commission has held the real culprits responsible for the demolition or not”.
The panel was to submit its report by March 16, 1993. But it sought repeated extensions to complete its investigation. The last three-month extension was given in March this year.
The commission has recorded the statements of senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders L.K. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, then chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Kalyan Singh and now Bharatiya Jan Shakti party chief Uma Bharati.
- Babri panel submits report after 17 years; Ayodhya back in spotlight (Roundup) - Jun 30, 2009
- Muslim forum welcomes tabling of Liberhan report - Nov 25, 2009
- Babri panel wants action against Advani, others - Nov 23, 2009
- Uma Bharti defends names of BJP leaders in Babri Masjid demolition case - Nov 23, 2009
- Chidambaram refuses to comment on Liberhan Commission report - Jun 30, 2009
- Incensed Justice Liberhan says he didn't leak his Babri report - Nov 23, 2009
- Liberhan probe was India's longest running inquiry commission - Nov 23, 2009
- Vajpayee, Advani, Joshi aware of Babri demolition: Liberhan Report - Nov 23, 2009
- PM regrets leakage of Liberhan Commission report - Nov 26, 2009
- Factsheet: Timeline of the Ayodhya Dispute - May 09, 2011
- Samajwadi Party to observe Babri anniversary as black day - Dec 03, 2009
- Justice Liberhan asks media to read the report before asking questions - Nov 24, 2009
- We own Ayodhya movement, but not going to apologise: RSS - Nov 24, 2009
- Congress thanks Liberhan, BJP questions time taken to submit report - Jun 30, 2009
- I am relieved: Justice Liberhan - Jun 30, 2009
Tags: 17 years, action committee, ahmad, babri masjid, bharatiya janata party, bjp, bmac, bukhari, cleric, communal violence, concrete action, convener, culprits, jama masjid, lok sabha elections, manmohan, manmohan singh, narasimha, prime minister manmohan, prime minister manmohan singh