Liberhan report on masjid demolition to be tabled soon as leaks force government hand

The Indian ExpressThe government said today that it will table the 'Liberhan report' on the demolition of the Babri Masjid at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh by a Hindu mob on 6 December 1992, after some leaks in the media about the report created an uproar in Parliament.

The one-man commission headed by retired Supreme Court judge Manmohan Singh Liberhan was set up 10 days after the demolition of the 16th century mosque, as communal riots rocked several parts of the country. After 17 years and 48 extensions, it submitted its report on 30 June this year.

Justice Liberhan angrily denied having any role in the leakage of the report. "Go and ask the media and the opposition parties where did they get the report from. Go and ask them. What do you mean by this, you are challenging my character? Get lost. I am not that characterless that I will leak the report before it is tabled in parliament. Go and do what you want to," he replied when he was asked who leaked the report.

According to the media reports, carried by The Indian Express as well as TV channel CNN-IBN, Liberhan has indicted former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and current leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha L K Advani, both from the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party which spearheaded the demolition.

The commission has also indicted BJP leaders Vinay Katiyar, Uma Bharti, and Murli Manohar Joshi, along with Vishwa Hindu Parishad leaders Ashok Singhal and Giriraj Kishore. The VHP is closely aligned with the BJP.

The report incidentally has virtually trashed the BJP's claim that the Babri Masjid demolition was a spontaneous outburst, saying that it was in fact meticulously planned.