Digvijaya Singh presents call records, demands apology

NEW DELHI - Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh Tuesday released records of his Nov 26, 2008 phone call to Mumbai’s slain anti-terror squad chief Hemant Karkare, and demanded an apology from “those who called my claims false”.

I have given the call details. I had called him on the landline of the Maharashtra ATS office given on their web site. I hope those who called me a liar would apologise or atleast express regret, Digvijaya Singh said at a press conference here.

The Congress leader said that he spoke to Karkare Nov 26, 2008, hours before he was killed during the Mumbai terror attack. Karkare said he had been receiving threat calls from Hindu extremists.

“I never met Karkare, but I congratulated him when the Malegaon blast accused were held because they were the people I had known to be involved in such activities as Madhya Pradesh chief minister,” Digvijaya Singh added.

Karkare was heading the probe into the Sept 29, 2008 Malegaon blast for which three members of a right-wing Hindu groups have been arrested.

Digvijaya Singh made it clear that he did not suggest that RSS cadres were involved in the 26/11 attack.

I don’t subscribe to the view that RSS or right-wing people are involved in 26/11. I see no such conspiracy in 26/11; only Pakistani terrorists were involved and this has been my stand all along, he insisted.

The Congress leader, however, accused the Madhya Pradesh Police of protecting right-wing “Hindu terrorists”.

MP police is trying to hide terrorist activities, this is my charge, he said.