Kar sevaks' return was known: Ex-Gujarat IB chief

AHMEDABAD: Contradicting the claims of former Gujarat Director General of Police, the then Intelligence chief R B Shreekumar on Tuesday told the Godhra inquiry commission that the state Intelligence Bureau did have information from Lucknow Police regarding return of kar sevaks from Ayodhya on February 22, 2002 itself.
"State IB did get a fax message from Lucknow SP about the return of kar sevaks from Ayodhya on February 22, 2002," Shreekumar told Justice G T Nanavati and Justice K G Shah, probing the train carnage and its aftermath.
Former Gujarat DGP K Chakravarthi had categorically stated in his affidavit as well as cross-examination recently that Lucknow Police had not informed its Gujarat''s counterparts regarding the return of kar sevaks from Ayodhya.
In his cross-examination by Jan Sangharsh Manch advocate Mukul Sinha, Shreekumar said that he had been appointed as Additional DG (IB) on April 9, 2002, taking over from his predecessor G C Raigar.
When asked whether this information (returning of kar sevaks) was passed on to his higher officials and whether any action was taken subsequently to protect them, he said, "I cannot comment on this. Only my predecessor can do so."