Date:18/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/18/stories/2008121861201000.htm

National

Antulay: I only questioned who sent Karkare to Cama Hospital

Special Correspondent

New Delhi: The debate on terrorism in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday witnessed a spat between Anant Geete (Shiv Sena) and Minority Affairs Minister A.R. Antulay. Mr. Geete accused the Minister of “misleading” the House by his controversial remarks to a television news channel regarding the Mumbai attack.

Mr. Antulay clarified that he had only demanded an investigation into the circumstances leading to the killing of ATS chief Hemant Karkare and two other senior police officials as it was against norms of protocol for three senior police officers to travel in the same car. “I repeat what I had said. I had not said who had killed them [police officers] but only questioned who had sent them there [Cama Hospital],” he said.

PTI earlier reported that

Mr. Antulay raised doubts over the killing of Maharashtra ATS chief Hemant Karkare by Pakistani terrorists, suggesting a link with the Malegaon blasts that he was investigating. Maintaining that “there is more [to it] than meets the eye,” Mr. Antulay said Karkare was investigating some cases in which “there are non-Muslims also,” an apparent reference to the Malegaon blasts case.

“Unfortunately his end came. It may be a separate inquiry how his [Karkare’s] end came, he told reporters outside Parliament.

“Karkare found that there are non-Muslims involved in the acts of terrorism during his investigations in some cases. Any person going to the roots of terror has always been the target,” he said.

“Superficially speaking, they [the terrorists] had no reason to kill Karkare. Whether he was a victim of terrorism or terrorism plus something, I do not know.”