GUWAHATI: The Assam Government on Tuesday wound up the Justice (retd.) J.N. Sarma Commission, saying there were "discrepancies" in its report on three cases of "secret killings." Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi told reporters that the Cabinet decided not to accept the findings of the one-man commission, submitted to him on August 12. The Commission also failed to pinpoint responsibility. He alleged that Mr. Justice Sarma had relied more on the statements of the police than the families of the victims.

A letter from the State Home Commissioner, Dr. B.K. Gohain, conveying the State Government's decision to wind up the Commission and reject its findings was handed over to Mr. Justice Sarma at his Bharalumukh residence here.

Ex-gratia payment

The announcement came a day after Mr. Gogoi announced an ex gratia payment of Rs. 3 lakhs to the families of the victims.

The Commission was appointed by the Congress Government in 2002 to probe six cases of alleged "secret killings" of family members of top leaders of the United Liberation Front of Asom. The killings during the previous Asom Gana Parishad Government, led by Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, snowballed into a major controversy and the Congress made it a plank in the last Assembly elections.

Mr. Justice Sarma denied Mr. Gogoi's charges. "It is the prerogative of the State Government to accept or reject the Commission's report. I have my own diktat. I did not find any involvement of either the Government or the police. There was not even a whisper of [the] alleged involvement of [the] then Chief Minister, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta. I cannot write something which I did not find," he told The Hindu after receiving the official letter.

Mr. Justice Sarma alleged the State Government had not paid even his travel allowance."I have not been able to identify the killers and [their] accomplices. I have indicated as far as possible the circumstances leading to the killing or kidnapping of the above mentioned. I could not pinpoint responsibility," Mr. Justice Sarma said. Mr. Gogoi also accused Mr. Justice Sarma of going to the press with the "confidential report."

"I kept it secret, but the next morning I found everything was out in the press," the Chief Minister said.

However, Mr. Justice Sarma said he had given only the bare details to the press. Of the six cases handed over to it, the Commission was not able to draw any conclusion about the killing of the family members of ULFA central publicity secretary Mithinga Daimari.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail