continued from page 1 On March 29, at about 7 a.m., 1 was “taken towards Chandigarh by certain (police officials, On the way I w: taken to CIA Staff at Mohali where DIG Rajan Gupta and SSP Ajit Singh ‘Sandhu also reached, I was then pressurized, on the pains of death, to write three pages of version in Punjabi, Dictation was given by police officials. ~ At about 10 a.m., I was taken to GO mess and was handed over to the Su Perintendent of Police (Detective) and SP (Operations). Later I was given typed statements of March 26 which | were typed at Sri Anandpur Sahib, “In the GO mess, press, TV cameramen and others were already present. The ‘ police distributed in haste copies of «the statement prepared at Anandpur at Sahib along with my handwritten statement, [refused to toe the police line as At was all false and farce, My statement to TV embarrassed the DGP, the three police officers and even the “Government. I made it clear before ‘pressmen that I had not come to ‘surrender’ or ‘touch the feet of te DGP” as has been told to me. I was a staunch fighter for Khalistan and would prefer the to surrender, I also told him that had been in police custody for 10 a ton this with my wife and son. =Thad bluntly compared the DGP to “Aurangzeb who committed excesses tin ‘open with a difference that the DGP id so within the four walls. Visibly Jense, the DGP caught hold of my arm wind tried to make me sit down and a “commotion ensued, I ‘was then taken to CIA staff, Mohali, where police officials started touring me for humiliating the DGP. Other police officials. Then I was moved to Ropar where I along with my wife and son were again tortured ‘9utof vengeance,” Bhai Kanwar Singh added, The statement, according to Mr. Balbir Singh Sooch, counsel for Bhai Kanwar Singh, has become part of judicial record.

Extra, Affairs, had called R.K. Rai, Consul Genl. of India in New York, to his Hotel room on 4/10/89 at about 9:30 aim, the,, the day on which the statement of Mr. McLean was to be recorded by Nanday) and asked him to personally do the consular attestations with regard to a statement being recorded by Nanday and asked him not to tell about this to the Indian Ambassador who was also in New York that day. “There is no clue as to how Rao came to know about the need for ‘attestation by Nanday and why he felt the need so urgent as to call the C.G. and to personally ask him to do the attestations himself, except the fact revealed during verifications abroad that Rao had rung up the apartment of Adnan Khashoggi (where Chandra ‘Swami normally stays while at New York) on 10 occasions from 27.9.895.10.89 (vide para 137 above). He rang up Adnan Khashoggi’s phone no, four times on 4.10.89, ie. the day on which Nanday was recording the statement of McLean. The most significant phone call made to this phone no. Is at 9:42 a.m. which appears to ‘be the phone call made by Rao from his bedroom (While R.K, Rai & Prakash Shah, Addl. Secy (MEA) ‘waited in the outer room of the suite), after which Rao had come and informed that the time 4:30 p.m. would be alright for Nanday to come for the attestation.

“This indicates that Rao was monitoring Nan day’s progress in the work through Khashoggi’s apartment. Since Chandraswamy & his right-hand man were in New York at that time as also Larry Kolb, it stands to reason that it was this group of persons Rao was in contact with while he talked to the said phone no’s, of Khashoggi. This does not however necessarily indicate that Rao was then aware of the full dimensions of the conspiracy.”

The CBI found “nothing to indicate any malafide intention” on the parts of Mr. Rai and his deputy Mr. Deepak Sengupta. It found the documentary material alleging that Mr. Ajeya Singh had an account in the St. Kitts bank to be “highly questionable” and, in all probability, “forgeries.” And it said, on page 140:”In view of all the above, open investigations by registering a regular case are recommended.” It ‘asserted that “George McLean and Larry Kolb emerge as the prime architects behind the suspected forger K.N. Agarwal could be behind the forgeries but there is no concrete proof in this regard yet.”

The CBI said in conclusion:”K.L. Verma, then DE, S.P.S. Pundir, Spl Dir/Enfmt & Arun Sharma, CEO are guilty of gross misconduct in launching proceedings against Ajeya Singh without any evidence in their possession except unverified newspaper reports. They are also guilty of abuse of official position to harass Ajeya Singh and defame Y.P. Singh, for some ulterior personal gain, pecuniary or otherwise. K.L, Verma, & A.P. Nanday in conspiracy with Larry Kolb, K.N. Agarwal, Chandraswamy and others, apparently tried to project forged documents as genuine through the series of acts of omission and commission as spelled out in the re~ port. Since the evidence against Chandra Swami is not very strong at this stage, his role as also of others could be looked into during open investigations. A regular case under the relevant provisions of law could be registered against the above.”

No open investigations have been carried out so far. The First Trust Corporation Lid is no longer in existence, A CBI official, preferring anonymity, said “letters rogatory”which are official requests for relevant information were sent 10 the United States and the St Kitts governments but they have not yet responded. The official added that it was “imperative to get hold of the original documents in order to establish forgery.”

 

Article extracted from this publication >>  February 7, 1996