The Hindu : Advani, others instigated mosque demolition, say accused

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jun 08, 2003

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Advani, others instigated mosque demolition, say accused

Lucknow June 7. In a new twist, five accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case today alleged that they had pulled down the disputed structure at Ayodhya at the instigation of L.K. Advani and other senior BJP leaders, a charge denied by Mr. Advani's lawyer.

The five — Vinod Vatsa, Santosh, R.C. Khatri, Amar Nath Goyal and R.N. Das — made the allegation while speaking to reporters outside the special CBI court hearing the case here. They alleged that the VIP accused had got their case separated by "exerting influence" and demanded that all accused be treated on a par as far as the trial was concerned.

In Chandigarh, Mr. Advani's lawyer, Satyapal Jain, denied the charge saying "there is no evidence against Mr. Advani and the allegation seems to be tutored against him". "I think there seems to be some mischief somewhere. Otherwise there is no evidence and the credentials of these people who are now saying this are yet to be established," he said.

One of the accused, R.N. Das, was the priest of the sanctum sanctorum of the temple inside the then Babri Masjid where offerings and prayers continued for years after the locks were opened on a court order.

The five accused expressed resentment at "being discriminated against those enjoying power" and on "whose instigation" they demolished the disputed structure on December 6, 1992.

Charges baseless: BJP

Meanwhile, the BJP has dismissed as "baseless" the allegation levelled by the five accused that the structure had been pulled down at the instigation of Mr. Advani and other senior BJP leaders, and warned the Congress against making an issue of it. "The allegation is baseless. (The) Congress seems to have lost its mental balance by asking for Mr. Advani's resignation. We too can make people to level baseless charges against the Congress president and then demand her resignation," the BJP general secretary, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, said from Rampur.

PTI

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