The Hindu : Jogi seeks JPC probe

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Apr 03, 2003

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Other States - Chattisgarh

Jogi seeks JPC probe

By Our Staff Correspondent

NEW DELHI APRIL 2. Accusing the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, of `prejudging' the Intelligence Bureau's (IB) version on `Operation Black Sea', reportedly launched by it against the Congress leaders, the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister, Ajit Jogi, today demanded a probe by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) into the entire episode, including the alleged misuse of the IB to malign political opponents.

Reacting to Mr. Vajpayee's order of an inquiry into the operation, allegedly launched to gather evidence of corruption against the Congress leaders, Mr. Jogi told reporters here that it was hard to believe that a Central agency could probe the functioning of another central body that worked under a "veil of secrecy".

Replying to the Prime Minister's letter he received last night, Mr. Jogi drew Mr. Vajpayee's attention to the fact "that an inquiry by one investigating agency of the Government of India against another will not inspire confidence in the public mind".

"No wonder that incidents like the attack on Parliament, the Akashardham and the massacre of Kashmiri Hindus in the Valley keep happening, because the IB is not being allowed to perform its duties, instead it is asked to gather information about the leaders of the political leaders from the Opposition."

That Mr. Vajpayee had ordered an inquiry was welcome but that the probe would be conducted by the CBI was objectionable, Mr. Jogi said. Only an independent and powerful body could probe the IB's functioning.

Refusing to say whether he would cooperate with the CBI, Mr. Jogi said he would certainly cooperate with an independent body probing the issue.

In his letter, Mr. Jogi had said that it was hardly surprising that the IB had not admitted to "mischievous operations against the political opponents which have been under way in the Bureau. On the contrary, I am surprised that, without any independent assessment, you have concluded that the document forwarded to you was forged.'' Mr. Vajpayee should have described the document as forged after the inquiry had been completed.

Mr. Jogi, who was speaking at the Chhattisgarh Economic Advisory Committee Meeting, here said special departments were created in the IB for specific purposes and denying that the unit purportedly dealing with the operation did not exist, was pointless. "It is not merely the question of a forged document but a bigger issue of the misuse of country's intelligence agency meant for national security."

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