Advani made speech before Babri attack: IPS officer in court

In New Delhi,the BJP declined to react to the deposition by Gupta. “I would not like to comment on her deposition at all; the matter is sub-judice,and she is now to be cross-examined,” said BJP chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad.

Asked by The Indian Express about the charges against BJP-RSS leaders when the Babri Masjid was being pulled down,Prasad said the Supreme Court had called it a “disputed structure”. At one stage,he referred to Gupta as “Anju Gupta Rizvi”. He also said this on a TV debate. When it was pointed out that the officer’s name was Anju Gupta,Prasad said “she is married to a Rizvi”.

Advani was discharged in the case by a Rae Bareli court in 2003 but two years later,theAllahabad High Court set aside that order.

Gupta,now with the Cabinet Secretariat,said Advani repeatedly said the “mandir will be constructed on the same 2.7 acres” and had a meeting with the DM and SSP when the Babri Masjid was being razed.

“I was asked by him to arrange a telephonic talk with then UP Chief Minister Kalyan Singh and District Magistrate and Senior Superintendent of Police,Faizabad,” she told the court,adding that the DM and SSP came to the dais at Ram Katha Kunj after messages were sent to them.

She said Advani later spoke to the Chief Minister but she was not aware of what was said. Advani,she said,expressed the desire to go near the disputed site and see what was happening there.

“When he was told that people were trying to climb the domes and some of them had fallen down and were hurt,he expressed his desire to go to the site and appeal to the people to come down from the domes,” she said,adding that he was later told not to go there because the situation could go out of control if anything were to happen to him.

“He then sent Uma Bharti there who returned soon,” Gupta told the court. “When the first,second and third domes fell,Uma Bharti and Sadhvi Rithambara hugged each other and distributed sweets.

They expressed happiness by hugging Advani,Joshi and S C Dixit,” she said.

According to Gupta,former DGP S C Dixit congratulated police officers for their role during the demolition.

“S C Dixit,who was also present on the dais,congratulated security personnel on duty. He said they have proved themselves to be sons of Hindu mothers and their names will be written in golden letters in the pages of history for their cooperation and for not taking any action,” she told the court which later adjourned the cross-examination to April 23.