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Journalism of Courage
The BJP high command recalled its Jammu satyagrah convenor Vinay Katiyar today, forced him to retract from his cash-for-killing-militant offer and express regrets after the J-K Police slapped a criminal case on him for making provocative statements and inciting communal passions.
Party vice-president Sahib Singh Verma was also made to join him when he went on the backfoot at a specially convened media briefing.
An FIR has been registered against Katiyar and Verma for ‘‘making provocative statements’’ and ‘‘inciting communal passions’’ under Section 123-A and 153-A of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) in the Nowabad police station in Jammu.
Maintaining that he was not aware of the details of the FIR, party spokesman Prakash Javadekar, who is in Jammu, said legal experts would respond to it.
The retraction by Katiyar, BJP general secretary, capped a high drama marked by a series of meetings among senior leaders. Sources disclosed that leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha L K Advani took a tough stand insisting that party president Rajnath Singh make Katiyar express regret for offering a cash reward of Rs 1 lakh to civilians for killing a militant. Advani’s words bordered on a demand for Katiyar’s removal in case he remained adamant.
The sources said Advani’s point was that the BJP had not taken any decision to offer such rewards to civilians. Since Katiyar had made such an announcement on his own, nothing short of an unequivocal public regret would do.
Katiyar, on the other hand, was unwilling to offer regret. ‘‘Vinay Katiyar says what he says,’’ he told reporters with a sense of bravado when he emerged after a meeting with Rajnath Singh. Later, while he briefed the media, he tried to couch his retraction in a vague written statement. However, his tone changed when he was handed a chit — containing curt advice — passed by an aide of Rajnath Singh in the midst of media briefing. His face betraying his feeling, Katiyar said: ‘‘Apart from this (what was referred to in the written statement), if any other news has gone, I express my regrets. Since it is a sensitive issue, it is imperative that things remain clear.’’
Both Katiyar and Verma said in their joint statement that it was never their intention to undermine the dignity of the Constitution, law and order and a political party.
As if to still sound defiant, Katiyar and Verma said the ‘‘BJP would support village defence committees to boost their morale’’.
When asked if the BJP would set up any fund to offer rewards, Verma said many people and organisations would be prepared to give cash rewards to civilians for fighting militants through the BJP. It is too early to conclude if today’s events mark the end of Katiyar’s troubles. Much depends on how the J-K Government pursues the case registered against him.
(With inputs from Jammu, Lucknow)
