Uproar in Indian Parliament over leaked report
Proceedings in both houses of the Indian Parliament were stalled after details of the Liberhan Commission report, set up to enquire the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992, were leaked to media. Several senior leaders of a right-wing Hindu party have been found to be implicated in the inquiry.
New Delhi: Parliament was in uproar on Monday over the inquiry, which is reported to blame senior BJP figures including Atal Behari Vajapyee and LK Advani.
- Demolition of the Babri Masjid mosque in 1992/ Photo credit: AP
The Liberhan commission report was submitted to the government in June but its contents have not been made public.
The demolition of the mosque sparked nationwide communal riots.
The commission was set up to investigate the events that led to a Hindu mob tearing down the disputed mosque in the northern town of Ayodhya.
The commission took 17 years to complete its investigation, which cost more than 65m rupees ($1.3m).
Details about the commission's findings appeared in the Indian Express newspaper on Monday.
'Political motive'
“I am stunned. I was shocked to see that the report has been leaked. I want to know who has leaked the report,” senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani said in parliament.
Advani said he had described the demolition of the mosque as the “saddest day of my life”.
“This is a leakage and such leakages are, I think with the political motive,” senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi said.
Joshi demanded that the government immediately put the report before parliament.
Accusing the Congress party government of “selectively leaking” the report, BJP spokesman Rajiv Pratap Rudy said this had been done to "divert attention from core issues" like rising costs and corruption.
The report published in the Indian Express newspaper said the Liberhan commission had described the BJP leaders as “pseudo-moderates” and stated that the build-up to the demolition of the mosque was meticulously planned.
Controversial mosque
The site of the 16th century Babri Masjid had been a focus for Hindu-Muslim hostility for decades.
On 6 December 1992 a mob of Hindu militants tore down the mosque.
The rioters claimed the site used to be a temple marking the birthplace of the popular Hindu god, Ram.
The destruction of the mosque led to Hindu-Muslim riots across India and more than 2,000 people died.
The Liberhan commission was set up within days of the incident. It held over 4,000 sittings and the last witness was interviewed in 2005.
