Sudarshan's bomb -- Gahlot's `son' sues RSS chief for defamation
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 25: A Muslim youth who claims to be the son of the Ghaziabad resident who the Sangh Parivar claims blew up the Babri Masjid in 1992 has lodged a Rs 50 crore defamation suit against RSS chief K.S. Sudarshan.

The RSS chief, in his deposition before the Liberhan Commission on December 20, had alleged that a Muslim Rajput by the name of Anis Ahmad Gahlot had planted three brick-shaped bombs in the mosque on December 2, 1992.

In a notice to Sudarshan, Raval and a few others, Aslam Javed, who identified himself as Gahlot's son, demanded that the RSS chief make an unconditional apology and withdraw his ``false, concocted and motivated'' allegation, failing which he would be sued for defamation.

``I categorically deny each and every word of the statement as the same is false, bogus, concocted and motivated. The allegations labeled against my father are part of a political conspiracy,'' Javed, who says he's Gahlot's eldest son, countered.

He also says his father was at home on December 6, 1992, and that he had never visited Ayodhya.

Observing that he and his family live at Dehra village in Ghaziabad district, Javed said his father died in 1998, and that no such allegation had ever been levelled against him during his lifetime.

The RSS remained unperturbed by the development. ``Sudarshanji has submitted the evidence to the commission. Anyone can approach the courts. The judiciary is open for everyone,'' said the organisation's spokesperson M.G. Vaidya.

According to him, the RSS chief's assertion was based on what the Federation of Rajput Sabha president Dharamvir Singh Raval had said. ``Raval has even agreed to depose before the commission,'' Vaidya said.

However, Aslam Javed said Raval was not known either to him or his father. It was only on December 17 and 20 this year that Raval visited their house, claiming to be an acquaintance of his father, and offered assistance to his family.

Charging Sudarshan and Raval with twisting facts, Javed accused them of making misleading statements.

Copyright © 2000 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.