Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Tuesday gave two entirely different versions in the Lok Sabha on the reasons that prompted the police to move the magistrate to review his earlier order to remand social activist Anna Hazare and his supporters in seven-day judicial custody.
In his statement to the House, Dr. Singh said the police approached the magistrate on the basis of information ‘received' that Team Anna intended to move the Supreme Court challenging the police orders and the petition was likely to be mentioned before the apex court on Wednesday for urgent hearing.
Responding to the discussion on the Prime Minister's statement, Mr. Chidambaram conceded in response to a specific question by JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav that it was a “political decision” on his advice to the Police Commissioner. “When we heard that Shri Annaji has been remanded in judicial custody, I advised the Delhi Police Commissioner in the evening to go back to the magistrate to get the order reviewed,” Mr. Chidambaram said.
Dr. Singh in his statement said: “Late yesterday [Tuesday] evening, the Delhi Police received information that Shri Anna Hazare intended to move the Supreme Court challenging the orders of the Delhi Police. The Delhi Police also received information that the petition was likely to be mentioned before the Supreme Court on Wednesday, i.e. today, for urgent hearing.
“Since there were reasonable grounds to believe that Shri Anna Hazare had opted to seek legal remedies, the Delhi Police did not apprehend any imminent breach of peace or imminent disturbance to the tranquillity if the arrested persons were released. Hence, the Delhi Police moved the Magistrate concerned to review his earlier order and the Magistrate was pleased to release Shri Anna Hazare and the other arrested persons at about 7 p.m. on Tuesday.”
Keywords: Anna Hazare arrest: Anna Hazare arrest, Anna Hazare fast, JP Park, Jan Lokpal, anti-corruption movement, India Against Corruption, civil society, Rajghat, Tihar jail
This variance in the statements clearly shows the confused state of affairs in the UPA. No one knows who calls the shots. In my opinion PC is correct and MMS is just talking, as usual with one foot in the mouth. MMs cannot make any extempore statements, since he seems to have lost all sense of reasoning. He can only read prepared statements. We are unlucky to have a PM like this.He made an himalayan blunder at Shemalsheikh, which is haunting us.He is also having an assistant in SMK, who has demonstrated his calibre many times. All others in the congress,except a few, are forced to tell lies and falsehoods. They all look unhinged.
Yet another piece of damning evidence that this entire affair of detaining Shri Hazare is shabby, unjust and altogether for a more sinister purpose totally to the ideals of fairness and decency that the police and the law are supposed to maintain. In short, this is nothing but a sham arrest with no legal foundation whatsoever to try and contain people's protests and anti-Govt sentiments which thankfully did not work
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