Jain Commission To Summon Rao On January 13

The Jain commission, probing into Rajiv Gandhis assassination, yesterday decided to summon former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao on January 13 to record his statement.

Commission chairman Justice Milap Chand Jain said Rao was being summoned as it appeared that he has knowledge and information having a bearing on the terms of reference of the commission. Rao will be the third former Prime Minister after Chandrasekhar and V P Singh to depose before the commission.

The one-man panel also decided to summon V George, the then personal secretary to Rajiv Gandhi, to appear before it on January 16 The commission also asked the parties, who have been issued notices under section 8-B and have not given a list of witnesses for examination so far, to do so within a week.

Former home minister, S B Chavan, deposing before the commission yesterday said as far as he knew there was no move by the Congress to make an amendment in the Special Protection Group (SPG) Act or to get any ordinance passed for providing SPG security cover to Rajiv Gandhi.

Stating that without amendment of SPG Act, SPG cover could not be provided to Rajiv Gandhi, the former minister said adequate security in the context of Special Protection Group would not be at par with SPG because of the legal provisions.

Questioned by B L Wadehra whether the witness had asked the Congress- supported Chandrasekhar government to provide SPG cover to Rajiv Gandhi, Chavan replied in the negative. Chavan said that even if the National Security Guard (NSG) was provided to the late premier, it could not play the same role as the SPG.

Referring to his statement in Parliament, Chavan told B Dutta, counsel for the Union government, that he did not mention any specific foreign power involved in the assassination.

He had also said that this was his suspicion and that there was no evidence, Chavan said.