CBI officer, Raghuvanshi, to head STF on Srikrishna report

CBI officer, Raghuvanshi, to head STF on Srikrishna report
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

NAGPUR, SEPT 18: The Democratic Front (DF) Government has constituted a Special Task Force (STF) to initiate action against those indicted by the Srikrishna Commission.

This was announced here by State Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, who also holds the Home portfolio. He was in the city to address a Muslim convention.

The STF would be headed by K P Raghuvanshi, who is at present holding the charge of DIG in CBI. He would be assisted by two officers of the rank of SPs -- S M Syed and Y P Singh.

Besides, a team of inspectors and legal advisers would also assist them to enable the filing of the chargesheets to be completed within six months, the Deputy Chief Minister informed. To a question, he clarified that though no time-frame had been given to the STF to finish its task.

The issue of constituting a STF to implement the Srikrishna Commission report was under consideration of the State Government ever since it filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court in this regard.

According to the Deputy Chief Minister, the STF would carefully go through the voluminous report. Even the depositions of the key witnesses would be scrutinised by the STF, Bhujbal said.

In reply to questions, he said the DF would ensure that bigwigs who are involved in the case were not spared. For this purpose, every minute detail would be taken into account before preparing chargesheets and there would also be no discrimination on the basis of religion or caste.

In reply to another question, he clarified that the much-publicised case against Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray was regarding a single editorial, while the chargesheets, to be prepared by the STF, would cover a wide range of issues, including editorials, alleged inflammatory speeches and interviews and the role of those named in the report.

When his attention was drawn towards a sensational disclosure by top VHP functionary Dr Pravin Togadia regarding Muslim fundamentalists holding terrorist training camps in the city, Bhujbal said his Government had not received any intelligence report on such activities.

On the law and order situation, he claimed that the situation had improved in the last six months. The cases of extortion had also come down drastically.