Agencies / New Delhi
The Pioneer
August 6, 1999
Title: Commission gives clean chit to Hindu Organizations in Steins murder Author: Agencies / New Delhi Publication: The Pioneer Date: August 6, 1999 The Wadhwa Commission, which probed the gruesome murder of Australian missionary Graham Steins and his two sons in Orissa in January, is understood to have ruled out the involvement of any Hindu outfit in the crime. The commission, headed by Justice D P Wadhwa of the Supreme Court, said in its report that the killings were an act of an individual who had no affiliation with any organisation, highly placed sources said. The findings assume significance in the context of allegations by opposition parties and Christian institutions that pro-BJP outfits like Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad were behind the incident. The single-judge also described the killings as a "gruesome murder" and an act of "hatred" by Dara Singh, an individual, who was supported by some "disgruntled" elements, the sources said. The commission held that Steins was a preacher who did not indulge in conversions and was doing a "good job". But he did not realise that there was an undercurrent against him, the report said. Earlier in the day, the Union Cabinet decided to furnish the commission's report along with the Action Taken Report to the Lok Sabha Speaker and chairperson of the Rajya Sabha with a request to have it placed in the Parliament library and make it public. After the Cabinet meeting, Union Home Minister L K Advani spoke to Lok Sabha Secretary-General G C Malhotra and conveyed the Government's keenness to table the report in the library as Parliament was not in session. Mr Malhotra, according to sources, contacted speaker G M C Balayogi and got his approval for the Government's move. The killings, which caused national and international outrage, also cost Orissa Chief Minister J B Patnaik his job as he had to resign from the post. The report of the commission was submitted to the Government on June 21. The Australian missionary and his two sons were burnt alive when they were sleeping in their jeep at Manoharpur in Keonjhar district on the night of January 22. The Wadhwa Commission had conducted investigations into the circumstances leading to the killing of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons. The Commission was set up under the Commission of Inquiry Act, 1952. The report as a consequence had to be placed in Parliament latest by December 1999. As the Lok Sabha stands dissolved the government has decided to proceed in this manner. Announcing this, Government spokesperson Pramod Majahan said there is a similar precedent in the Justice Kuldip Singh Committee investigating land deals in Karnataka. This committee was appointed by the V P Singh Government in 1989 and the then Government adopted the the same procedure seeking that the report be made public.
This archive was generated by (modified version of) hypermail.pl 1.00