By Abdul Hameed, TwoCircles.net,
Mumbai: If some are condemning Union Minority Affairs Minister Abdur Rahman Antulay for his Hemant Karkare remarks there are many who are supporting his views and like him demanding probe into the killing of ATS chief and his aides. The latest among those putting their weight behind Antulay is Amresh Misra of Sarvasamaj United Democratic Front.
The Sarvasamaj United Democratic Front (the changed name of Maharashtra Democratic Front) on December 19 demanded a judicial probe into the death of three top-rank Maharashtra ATS officers who were killed during 26/11 Mumbai attack. The three included ATS chief Hemant Karkare.
In a press conference held in Mumbai Marathi Patrakar Sangh premises today the UDF speakers stated that the 26/11 Mumbai attack was a conspiracy against the very foundation of the country and labeled those ignoring the question as to how and why ATS officers Hemant Karkare, Ashok Kamte and Vijay Salaskar were killed as anti-Maharashtra and anti-India. The first press conference of the front was held in the light of Antulay’s statement that cast doubts over the circumstances in which Hemant Karkare and two others were killed.
Amresh Misra, national spokesperson of UDF said, ‘The attack was carried out by Anglo-American-Israeli-Hindutva-Manuvadi elements. It was meant to remove Karkare who was unveiling the face of ‘Hindutva terrorism’.
‘Antulay is not the first person to demand fair investigation in Karkare case. Earlier on November 27 in an interview to IBN, I had raised question whether Hemant Karkare, Ashok Kamte and Vijay Salaskar went to Cama hospital or they were called,’ said Colonel Sudhir Sawant. He expressed his concern that the Mumbai attack investigation has been handed over to the Mumbai police which failed to check it. He asked why there was no CBI, IB or RAW investigation in the case.
‘So far the terrorists had put their demands after attack. But it is the first attack in which the terrorists did not demand anything, instead, went on describing which place they belonged’ he said.
He added, ‘It is beyond comprehension why the government not used the Grenadier Battalion while 800 youths of the battalion, 500 meters away from Nariman House, were ready to fight at 11:00 pm on November 26?’
Misra demanded the Supreme Court to take the file of Malegaon blast into its control because it consisted of many valuable leads which will help government to reach the depth of terrorism.
‘That file contains proof of RSS sponsored terrorism and that how Indranesh, an accused in the Malegaon investigation took Rs 3 crores from the ISI. It is a very sensitive file as for the first time it exposes the ISI-RSS link.’
The speakers stressed that the probe into Karkare’s death should be conducted by a judge because, they said, people of Maharashtra and India do not have faith in the version of the death of the three brave officers given out by Mumbai police under the direction of Rakesh Maria, the joint commissioner of police.
‘In fact Maria should be removed from the post as there are hundreds of affidavits against him for applying torture especially to members of one community. Maria has a communal bias and cannot be trusted with a full and fair enquiry.’
The UDF threatened to come to the street if their demands are not met. ‘These demands should be met immediately otherwise as a nationalist force the UDF will honor the sentiments of Marathi people of Bahujan Samaj and minorities and take them to the streets.’