Advani writes to PM on tardy Mumbai Blasts probe

New Delhi, July 23: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha L.K. Advani has strongly expressed his reservation over the tardy investigation and progress in the July 11, 2006 Mumbai bomb blasts on the city's local trains, which had left 187 dead and about 890 people injured.

In a strongly-worded letter sent to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday, Mr Advani also expressed his anguish and suprise over non-observance of the first anniversary of "what was undoubtedly the most horrific terrorist act in India in recent years." No official function was held by the Union or State Governments to mark the anniversary, he said, while reminding the manner in which the United states commemmorated the first anniversary of 9/11.

He also recalled how the British Government remembered the bomb blasts in London on July 7, 2005 with then Prime Minister Tony Blair leading the commemmorative events on the first anniversary and his successor Gordon Brown doing so on the second.

Describing the Government's apathy towards the July 11 blasts as 'deliberate and politically motivated,' the BJP leader regretted that no worthwhile progress had been made in the investigation so far, although on July 12 last year, Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil had assured the people of Mumbai that "the Government has enough evidence of perpetrators of the blasts and would take stern action against the culprits and share all the information with the people at the appropriate time." ''The people had the right to know from the Prime Minister and his Home Minister what stern action had been taken against the culprits,'' he said.

Mr Advani said that he had visited Mumbai on July 11 during which the people complained that trial at the MCOCA Court was yet to gain momentum and no efforts were being made to nab the 15 absconding terrorists. Besides, no major efforts were being made by the Ministry of External Affairs to identify and apprehend the foreign contacts behind the terorists attack.

While appreciating that some progress was indeed made after the Prime Minister's personal intervention in response to his letter from Mumbai on June 9, Mr Advani brought to the notice of Dr Singh that ''official apathy'' was still being noticed in providing relief and rehabilitation to all victims of the serial bomb blasts. As many as 416 victims were still struggling for medical treatment and rehaibilitation, he pointed out.

Besides, he said, the state government was extremely slow in payment of ex-gratia compensation. Whereas the Railways had paid ex-gratia to 1058 familities, the state government had done so in respect of only 884 victims.

Mr Advani also complained about tardy functioning of the Medical Board formed by the Railway Claims Tribunal of the, Western Railway.

Similarly, the Special Bench of the RCT had held only one sitting in a month and so far only settled 174 out of about 600 claims made by victims.

He recalled that the Railway had promised to provide employment to the kin of the dead and permanently disabled victims but it had given job to just 44 of the 235 eligible persons.

UNI