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Madhu Sharma tones down rhetoric

By Rajesh Ahuja

CHANDIGARH AUG. 17. Madhu Sharma, wife of Ravi Kant Sharma, Haryana IPS officer and prime accused in the murder of the Indian Express journalist, Shivani Bhatnagar, today played down her "emotional outburst'' against the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Pramod Mahajan, on Thursday, and demanded ``fair play and justice'' from the powers that be.

At a crowded press conference at her Panchkula residence in the evening, Ms. Sharma conceded that she had called Mr. Mahajan a ``criminal'' and said that "if my husband is alleged to be involved in the Shivani Bhatnagar murder case on the basis of telephone calls and hearsay, then Mr. Mahajan, who also knew Shivani very well, should also be treated by the Delhi Police on the same basis as my husband and questioned.''

Shivani was her husband's friend (hers as well) but their relationship was purely ``professional,'' Ms. Sharma claimed. The journalist, who covered the political beat for the Indian Express, used to call up Mr. Sharma when he was posted in Mumbai but these calls, mostly answered by the answering machine or the PA, did not last for more than half-a-minute.

Ms. Sharma clarified that she was not aware of the "exact relationship" between Shivani and Mr. Mahajan. Neither did she want to talk about any ``concrete evidence'' against Mr. Mahajan. She had been misquoted as having said that the Minister was having an "affair'' with the journalist. "I only said they were close.''

Looking unwell, she said "I have nothing against Mr. Mahajan. I don't say he murdered her but the possibility of his involvement exists if my husband and even Shivani's husband could come under the spotlight of suspicion. The Delhi Police should have questioned him also. Are politicians above the law? He too should face the lie-detector test which my husband and others did.'' Mr. Mahajan had the right to file a defamation suit against her if he so desired.

Wondering why Mr. Mahajan and the Home Minister were getting "so sensitive," Ms. Sharma alleged that there was a much "bigger conspiracy" behind the attempts by the Delhi Police to "frame" her husband. They had refused to listen to Mr. Sharma when he tried to name Mr. Mahajan.

The BJP Government wanted to ``solve'' the case in a hurry so that it could not be opened by any other government, which might entrust it to an independent agency such as the CBI. Police had failed to investigate Shivani's professional life and her links. They had only concentrated on telephone calls and hearsay.

She flayed the powers that be for describing Mr. Sharma as an ``absconder.'' He was only exercising his constitutional right of seeking justice from a court of law. "He has knocked at the door of the court from day one thereby making himself available to the law. He is only protecting himself from the clutches of the Delhi Police."

He would surrender before the Delhi High Court — if it directed him to do so — where his bail application was coming up.

She charged the Delhi Police with harassing her family, friends and acquaintances. Even the phones of her lawyers were being tapped.

She had received a threat that she too would be framed in the murder case but she was not afraid.

Arrested

PTI reports from New Delhi:

The Delhi Police arrested Satya Prakash, third key accused in the murder case.

The Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), U. K. Katna, said that Prakash had been arrested around 1.30 p.m. from Faridabad.

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