Tags:
Journalism of Courage
June 29: Former chief minister Sharad Pawar will appear before the Srikrishna Commission here on Monday. His appearing before the commission assumes political significance since his arch-rival and former chief minister Sudhakarrao Naik put the entire blame on the army for the inefficient handling of the communal riots during 1992-93.
Pawar was the union defence minister at the time and present in Mumbai.While deposing before the commission on May 2, Naik alleged that the army did not cooperate with the state authorities.
Naik said that even the presence of the army failed to prevent the mobs who indulged in large scale vandalism till mid-January. By passing the entire blame on to the army, Naik succeeded in embarrassing his bete noire Pawar who has since maintained a discreet silence. With Pawar8217;s appearance on Monday, the commission will witness yet another important session as he will be answering charges made against him by Naik.The terms of reference for Pawar8217;s appearance is, whether the inefficient handling of riots was due to civil authorities or army8217;s reluctance to co-operate with state police. The question whether the army8217;s reluctance was due to political pressure will also be discussed on Monday. Court watchers say Pawar is one of the star witnesses and counsels from various sides are likely to grill him on various issues.
