Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan on Sunday said the Pradhan Committee report on the November 26 terrorist attacks, authored by former bureaucrat RD Pradhan and former intelligence officer V Bhalachandran, has not absolved the Maharashtra police of its failures.
Chavan’s comments during the tea party held on the eve of the commencement of the assembly’s monsoon session, came after a public outcry over the perceived clean chit given to the police in the 100-page report.
The chief minister said the report, which analysed the role of the police and systemic failures, if any, had merely lauded the efforts of the men in khaki but not issued a certificate of excellence to the department. He insisted there was no intention of covering up any acts of commission or omission by the police or the state administration
“I got the report on May 27. A two-member team comprising the chief secretary and additional chief secretary (home), after going through the report, will come out with an action-taken report (ATR),” he said. He refused to commit a time frame for submitting the ATR but said, “There is no intention to delay or hide the facts.”
The opposition has promised to take Congress-Nationalist Congress Party alliance government to task for failing to table the Pradhan committee report in the assembly. Gauging the opposition’s mood and given that state elections are due in September, it is unlikely that the government will expedite the process so that the report, which might point to failures on the part of the government, can be tabled during the monsoon session. But the government is expected to take corrective measures to implement police reforms to show that it is working hard to enhance security in the city and the state.
Deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal pointed to a precedence in sending the report to another panel. “In the past, the Shiv Sena-BJP government sent the Srikrishna Commission report on the Mumbai riots (in 1992-93) and came out with an action-taken report.”
However, as per government rules, it is not binding on the government to table an ATR on the Pradhan Committee, where the cabinet can suggest corrective measures. But if a report is tabled by a commission (such as the Srikrishna Commission) headed by a retired judge, it is mandatory for the government to give its response through an action-taken report.
