Babri demolition case: IPS officer says Katiyar sent her away from dais twice

To counsel H D Sharma’s question on how long she stayed at Ramkatha Kunj manch (dais) after reaching there for the first time,the IPS officer said she was there only for a few minutes. “Within a few minutes of reaching the dais Vinay Katiyar asked me to go to the police control room and get the direction of Advani’s convoy,which was parked,changed,” she said.

Gupta said when she returned to the dais,Katiyar asked her to bring Advani’s car to Ramkatha kunj as the leader would face difficulty in reaching the control room due to the presence of a huge gathering. At this point Sharma asked her to clarify whether after reaching the dais she heard leaders announcing repeatedly about how and where the symbolic ‘kar seva’ was to be performed. When asked by Sharma whether ‘bhajan’ and ‘kirtan’ was being performed at the dais when she reached there,Gupta said,“When I reached there,speeches were being given and in between slogans raised.”

“The crowd present there was swelling in numbers and it was responsive towards programmes being coordinated from the dais. The crowd was also cheering the leaders,” she said. Gupta said when she reached the control room to get the convoy’s direction changed,she could hear speeches being made.

In reply to a question,the officer told the court that Advani alighted from his car near the control room and walked all the way to Ramkatha kunj,which was 150 to 175 metres away. Gupta said

when she reached Ram Janambhoomi complex at 10.15 am,thousands of people were already there.

The defence counsel asked Gupta if,during her to and fro movement between Ramkatha kunj and the control room,she saw people performing symbolic ‘kar seva’. “I saw some seers performing religious rituals,” she said.

Gupta said in none of the orders given to her by the district administration the word symbolic ‘kar seva’ was mentioned. “It did not have any information on any decision taken between the administration and organisers of the ‘kar seva’,” the police officer said.

The defence counsel also asked Gupta if she had informed Advani about the decision taken at the meeting convened by IG Police A K Saran on December 5,2002 where it was decided to allow ‘kar seva’ the next day. “As per government rules,we are not allowed to inform any politician about details of any such meeting”,Gupta told the court.

During her deposition before the court on March 26,Gupta had said,“On December 6,1992,Advani made a spirited speech from Ram Katha Kunj manch (dais),barely 150-200 metres from the disputed site which charged the people. He repeatedly said that the temple would be constructed at the same site.” She also said Uma Bharti and Ritambhara motivated people to demolish the disputed structure.

Gupta,the then Additional Superintendent of Police in Faizabad,told the court on April 23 that Faizabad Police had intelligence inputs about possibility of an attack on the Masjid by ‘kar sevaks’.