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~Sharad Gupta
NEW DELHI, APRIL 2: The investigating team associated with the Wadhwa Commission of Inquiry into the brutal murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons, will submit its preliminary report to the Commission chairman Justice D P Wadhwa on Saturday.
The nine-member investigating team headed by an inspector general of police, visited the site of the gruesome incident in Orissa recently. ``We are holding our own investigations, independent of the CBI inquiry already going on into the case,'' Commission secretary DGR Patnaik told The Indian Express on Friday.
Though the Commission's term has been extended by three months - up to June - Patnaik was confident of finishing the job by May itself. The Commission assisted by senior advocate Gopal Subramanium and three other advocates will be holding a three-day inquiry at Bhubaneshwar from April 6.
The Commission was appointed by the Centre in January to ``ascertain facts and circumstances'' leading to Staines' murder and also to probewhether an organisation or group was behind the incident in which the father-sons trio were burnt alive while sleeping in their van. The Opposition had accused Bajrang Dal, a Sangh Parivar member, to have masterminded the ghastly incident.
The Commission however, has not focussed on tracking down the main accused Dara Singh, especially after his interview was telecast recently by a private TV channel. ``This is the job of the local police or CBI. We are looking into the larger conspiracy, if there was any,'' said an investigating officer posted with the Commission.
The Commission was supposed to submit its report by March end, but could not function properly for almost two months as it had not been allotted office space. The Commission of course did have a make-shift office at Justice Wadhwa's residence till it was allotted a 10-room accommodation in Vigyan Bhawan last month.
``Unlike other commissions which never started work unless proper accommodation was provided to them, Wadhwa Commission wasquickly off the block despite handicaps,'' observed a senior Home Ministry official.
The Commission presently had a 29-member staff including members of accounts, administration and investigating team. The staff's accommodation has been increased to 15-rooms which Commission officials term is only `workable space'. ``We are content at the facilities provided to the Commission and hope to submit the final report by the end of next month,'' claimed a Commission official.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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