Nagpur police book Wadettiwar for remarks on Karkare killing

The senior Congress leader was booked after a formal complaint was filed by Sanjay Bokade, an assistant election officer, alleging a violation of the election commission’s model code of conduct during the Lok Sabha polls

NAGPUR: The city police on Friday registered a non-cognizable offence against the leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly, Vijay Wadettiwar, following his controversial remarks about the killing of former Mumbai anti-terrorism squad chief Hemant Karkare. Wadettiwar had suggested during a media interaction on May 5 that Karkare was not killed by terrorist Ajmal Kasab during the 26/11 attack but by a policeman linked with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

Wadettiwar had suggested during a media interaction on May 5 that Karkare was not killed by terrorist Ajmal Kasab during the 26/11 attack but by a policeman linked with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) (HT Photo)

The senior Congress leader was booked after a formal complaint was filed by Sanjay Bokade, an assistant election officer, alleging a violation of the election commission’s model code of conduct during the Lok Sabha polls. Bokade approached the Nagpur police after he received a complaint against Wadettiwar from Om Pathak, a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Nagpur unit.

Pathak, in his complaint to the election commission against Wadettiwar, also noted that the Congress leader had called Ujjwal Nikam, the prosecutor in the 26/11 trial and a BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Mumbai North Central, “anti-national” for allegedly concealing this information.

The complaint sought immediate action against Wadettiwar under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code and Representation of the People Act. However, the police registered a non-cognizable offence against him.

On May 5, the leader of the Opposition and Congressman Wadettiwar stirred controversy after alleging that a police officer affiliated with the RSS, and not terrorist Kasab, had killed Karkare during the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor also supported his party colleague, stating that such grave allegations must be investigated when levelled by the Leader of Opposition, particularly when they have been in the public domain.

Wadettiwar’s remark drew sharp criticism from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the chief minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, with ruling party leaders accusing him of driving Pakistan’s agenda and the Congress of trying to give a “clean chit” to Pakistan.

Karkare, who was killed during the Mumbai terror attack, hailed from Nagpur. The son of a local railway employee, Karkare graduated in engineering from Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur, and was a 1982 batch IPS officer.