New Delhi: A foreign country, which now
has good relations with India, spread canards on the death of
former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri in Tashkent nearly
four decades ago, intelligence reports produced today by the
PMO before the Central Information Commission indicate.
Being directed by Chief Information Commissioner
Satyananda Mishra to produce before him all the "classified
documents" related to death of Shastri in a sealed cover, the
Prime Minister's Office today produced only one sheet of paper
saying it is the only document in classified category with it.
After going through the document, Mishra pointed out
that document has "nothing to do directly" with the death of
the former Prime Minister.
"The document comprises intelligence reports collected
from different sources saying that a foreign country was
spreading canards about former Prime Minister's death.
"The country mentioned here was not in good terms at
that time but now we certainly have good relations. The
document, if disclosed, has potential to adversely affect
these
relations," Mishra observed without naming the country.
The case relates to RTI application filed by Anuj
Dhar, author of "CIA's eye on South Asia", seeking "classified
documents" held by the PMO on the death of Shastri in Tashkent
in 1966. The CIC had directed the PMO to produce documents
before it to decide if they can be disclosed.
Reacting to it, BJP leader and grandson of Shastri,
Siddarth Nath Singh said there was a tendency in India once to
blame Pakistan or the international community for all wrongs.
"If it has been a rumour for last four decades, why
should government shy away from de-classifying records?," he
said.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, June 22, 2011, 17:56