The Hindu : Kalyan Singh Govt. `altered' security plan

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jul 05, 2003

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Kalyan Singh Govt. `altered' security plan

By J. Venkatesan

NEW DELHI JULY 4. The Central Government has accused the erstwhile Kalyan Singh Government in Uttar Pradesh of altering the security plan intended to protect the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid structure in Ayodhya.

Although there was no concrete or reliable information on the threat to the "disputed structure", there was the fear that some groups might be in the process of planning the demolition, the Centre said in an affidavit filed before the Liberhan Commission on the security aspects. Even the Intelligence Bureau did not have any reliable information that the structure would be demolished or substantially damaged.

Explaining the steps taken before and on the eve of the kar seva, the Centre said it had kept a "minute watch" on the security-related aspects of the disputed structure.

Through a series of letters, it gave suggestions on strengthening the security system in and around the disputed structure and, at times, also expressed concern over some of the changes made in the security arrangements.

The Centre had prepared a security scheme for the Babri complex which said that some of the barriers around it be removed and that the control room be shifted from its location.

Elaborating on how the State Government altered the plan, it said that first, when the Centre suggested to the State in a letter to draw up a new security plan for the disputed structure, the latter replied that maintenance of law and order was a State subject and that the existing security arrangements were adequate. The State Government was also reluctant to raise the height of the security wall. Secondly, when the Centre decided to deploy paramilitary forces without seeking the State Government's opinion, the latter protested saying that the unilateral action (of deploying paramilitary forces) was unconstitutional.

The affidavit also said that from the deposition of witnesses it had become clear that although the State took the issue of crowd control seriously, there were a few lapses in estimating the number of people comprising the crowd and in devising an appropriate crowd control system.

It said the demolition and related developments happened within a span of five to ten minutes and the attack was, by and large, by young people. The sudden commotion and chaos of lakhs and lakhs of kar sevaks milling around both within and outside the Babri Masjid complex and their onrush towards the structure were responsible for the demolition, the affidavit said.

Court directive to ASI

PTI reports from Lucknow:

The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court today allowed the shifting of articles found during excavation by the Archaeological Survey of India at Ayodhya to a bigger room where they could be studied and photographed.

On a plea by the ASI, the Bench comprising Justice Sudhir Narain and Justice S.R. Alam, Justice Bhanwar Singh passed the order and fixed July 15 for the next hearing.

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