New Delhi: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has supported his party colleague, Vijay Wadettiwar, in his assertion that former Maharashtra ATS chief Hemant Karkare was murdered by a police official. Tharoor emphasized the need for a thorough investigation into Wadettiwar's serious allegation.
Tharoor stated that when the Leader of Opposition (LoP) makes allegations, especially those that have been in the public domain, they must be investigated. He referred to a claim made by former IG of police, SM Mushrif, in his book, suggesting that the bullets found in Karkare's body could not have been fired by Ajmal Kasab, but rather by a police revolver.
"The matter is extremely serious. Our concern is that when the LoP points to something that is an allegation that has been in the public domain for some time and which featured in a book by the former IG of police, SM Mushrif, who said that the bullets found in Karkare's body could not have been fired by Ajmal Kasab and that it could have been fired by a police revolver," Tharoor said.
He stressed that the nation has the right to know what happened and called for a comprehensive investigation into the matter.
Tharoor also criticized BJP candidate Ujjwal Nikam, the public prosecutor in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, for claiming that Ajmal Amir Kasab was served biryani in jail.
"We already knew that he (Ujjwal Nikam) had propagated this unjustified myth that the Pakistani terrorist was served Biryani in prison...that is something that shows him in a very poor light. If, indeed, he has already revealed his political bias in that moment, then there is every reason to worry whether his political bias had influenced any other of his stands. We are not saying that the allegation is true. We are saying it should be investigated," he added.
Hemant Karkare, a renowned officer in Maharashtra, was killed in action while fighting terrorists in Mumbai in 2008. Ajmal Kasab was the only terrorist captured alive and was hanged in Pune in 2012.
Vijay Wadettiwar, the Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra assembly, claimed that Karkare was killed by a police official close to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Ujjwal Nikam dismissed the Congress leader's remark as baseless.
"What allegations are you making? What will Pakistan say? Pakistan has never denied this. because we produced judicial proof. But our man is doing politics. You just want to do propaganda - that too Goebbels' propaganda. This doesn't defame Nikam. It defames you," he said.
Wadettiwar, clarifying his remark, stated that these were not his words. He said former IGP SM Mushrif made the allegation in his book.
"Those are not my words, I just said what was written in the book by SM Mushrif. All information was there about the bullet by which Hemant Karkare was shot, it was not the bullet of terrorists," he said.
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