Party begins to tread Antulay line, Digvijay backs him

He had echoed similar views while talking to reporters in Varanasi earlier in the day. He said the BJP, the RSS and the VHP had raised doubts about the integrity of Karkare because he was investigating the Malegaon blast in which Hindus were arrested. Against this backdrop, Karkare was killed in the terrorist attack in Mumbai and it was 8220;natural8221; to think whether he was murdered. 8220;But this possibility appears to be low because the course of events minimises it. Antulay has said who ordered him Karkare to go there should be investigated. What is objectionable in that,8221; Singh asked.

The Congress had earlier distanced itself from Antulay terming his views as 8220;personal8221; and stating that the party did not endorse them. The Congress Core Group met at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh8217;s residence on Saturday to discuss the political fallout of Antulay8217;s controversial remarks. It was attended by party President Sonia Gandhi, her Political Secretary Ahmed Patel and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, among others. The Core Group was, however, learnt to have deferred any decision on the minister8217;s offer of resignation, made on Wednesday evening, till the Parliament session is over on December 23.

Party sources said that, in the meantime, Antulay was asked to do a course correction and water down his remarks. Accordingly, he sought to mollify his critics within and outside the party by saying that he never meant to absolve Pakistan of its role in Mumbai terror attack. 8220;I never said Pakistani terrorists did not kill Karkare. I am not a fool. I only asked who sent them the police officers there, which led to their killing,8221; Antulay said on the sidelines of a meeting at Parliament Annexe to discuss a Joint Parliamentary Committee report on Waqf Board.

Asked if he agreed that his remarks had given some ammunition to Pakistan to counter India8217;s diplomatic efforts for its involvement in Mumbai terror attacks, the minister said, 8220;Don8217;t be afraid of Pakistan. This is our country. We know what to do.8221; In the last two-three days, he has been getting telephone calls from secular people and Muslims from across the country to extend their support, he said.

Geography challenges Antulay theory

While A.R. Antulay may have thought it strange that Hemant Karkare was killed at Cama Hospital when the 8216;real action8217; was elsewhere, a look at this map shows that all the action happened in a half-a-km radius.

Hemant Karkare and Ashok Kamte reach the road outside CST 1 at about 10.15 p.m. after hearing of the attack. By then, terrorists Ajmal Kasab and Ismail Khan, who had begun the CST attack at about 9.50 p.m., take the overbridge to flee to the other side of the road. Karkare and others get a wireless message that the two had entered a lane beside the Times of India building.

Around 10.45 p.m., Salaskar comes in a Qualis. Karkare, Kamte, Salaskar and the other cops get into the cab and enter the lane 2.

The backdoor entrance to Cama Hospital 3 is at the other end of this lane and is about half-a-km from the road outside CST. Here, they face the terrorists and are killed in the exchange of fire.

The Taj Mahal Hotel attack began at 10.03 p.m., at least 13 minutes after the CST attack.