Harish Rawat for fair probe into CD sting

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 30

Former Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Saturday called for a fair probe into the sting CD that was one of the reasons cited by the Central Government to impose President’s rule in the state.

Rawat, while speaking with mediapersons here, said he would extend full cooperation to the CBI that has registered a case in the sting CD case. “A CD is being played in the social media that amply indicates a criminal conspiracy to topple the elected government in the state,” he said.

He added the CD shown on March 26 was false. “I request the Governor to go into the whole truth and also probe the allegations made in the CD being played in the social media,” he said.

Rawat also questioned the manner in which the Central Government proved the authenticity of the March 26 CD. “Within a day, they managed to get it tested and prove its authenticity. It has created a history of sorts,” he said.

The former Chief Minister said he was ready to extend full cooperation to the CBI but the agency had not approached him yet. He added that for a fair inquiry into the sting CD, it was essential that the antecedents of journalist Umesh Kumar also be taken into account. “There were serious criminal charges against him but all these were dropped during the rule of Vijay Bahuguna,” he said.

He defended himself when asked why he took no action against the BJP leaders based on the reports presented by the commissions set up to probe into the allegations of corruption during the previous BJP government. Rawat said, “I kept things in abeyance because the task before me of putting the state back on track after the 2013 natural disaster was more important,” he said.