Veteran Doon journalist recalls last four
days of Nehru’s life

DEHRA DUN, June 8: Nearly four decades after his death, old timers of Doon still remember late Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s parting visit to the lush valley.

"He was happy and pleased like a child he and Indira enjoyed the view of the Sahasradhara springs and the mountains beyond," writes Mr Raj Kanwar, a veteran journalist from the Valley, who met nehru during each of his visits to the Valley.

In a series of articles on the first Prime Minister of India, Kanwar has spoken in detail about Nehru and Indira Gandhi’s stay in the valley before and after independence.

The articles recently appeared in ‘Garhwal Post’, a leading english weekly in Uttaranchal.

He recalls how Nehru insisted on paying for his food on May 26, 1964, a day before his death, saying he was on a private visit.

When the District Magistrate stated that nehru was a ‘state guest’, the Prime Minister said, "Aap Ka Shukriya Aur Uttar Pradesh Sarkar Ka Shukriya " and paid the bills.

"Even on the last day of his life, he remained steadfast to his principles," writes Kanwar.

Indira accompanied her father during his last trip too. They visited the "Shasradhara" springs in the Valley. As the sun turned crimson, Nehru, pleased and relaxed with the excursion, returned to the circuit house, his favourite place in Doon, Kanwar writes.

Nehru visited his old friends in Doon during his last vacation. He met Sri Prakasa, former minister and Governor at Kothalgaon, eight miles uphill on the Doon-Mussoorie road. "Far from the madding crowds of Delhi and the nagging question, "after Nehru, who?" and political intrigues, Nehru felt at home and at peace in Doon," says Kanwar.

"Here, he partook of simple vegetarian meals, took leisurely walks on expansive lawns, sat under trees and occasionally read." Under the title "The last sunset", Kanwar has recorded Nehru’s last evening in Doon. It was 1715 hrs, Tuesday, may 26, 1964. At the cantonment polo grounds, Kanwar says, "Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru haltingly climbed the few steps of the helicopter ladder, his usual brisk gait missing. Indira Gandhi followed her Papu, very close as if she feared that Nehru might stumble. It was the end of his four-day trip to Dehra Dun for rest and recuperation after the stroke that he had suffered on the previous January eight at the Bhubaneswar AICC session."

Writing about his fellow-journalists in Doon, Kanwar says, "Though we met Nehru regularly, none of us abused his hospitality and kindness by seeking scoops. We were just content with having the privilege of his company and an occasional photograph".

Mrs Gandhi, he writes, began accompanying her father more frequently once Rajiv and Sanjay joined Welham Boys School, and later the Doon School. "She generally preferred to remain in the background unless some of us wished to see her specifically".

One of the articles titled "Jails were Nehru’s ‘Second home", Kanwar’s describes the times when Nehru stayed in Dehra Dun jail before independence.

The first time was in May 1934, when he was prisoner No 95. During his next sentence in 1940, he was prisoner No 1948.

The room where Nehru was imprisoned still looks like what it did then, Kanwar says. "It is sparsely furnished. The bed has a frame of iron rods and strips. There is a straight chair with arms and a small writing desk which Nehruji obviously used for his prolific writing work," he adds.

Kanwar also talks of Mr A P Dikshit, who was the District Magistrate in Dehra Dun for four years. Nehru visited Dehra Dun five times during Mr Dikshit’s tenure.

After independence, Nehru visited Dehra Dun frequently and the circuit house was his favourite resting place.

Today the circuit house is the Uttaranchal Raj Bhawan, where Governor S S Barnala stays. Photographs of Nehru and Indira Gandhi occupy the pride of place in the circuit house, evoking memories of the many holidays the two spent within its sevene environs. (UNI)

HC tells police not to arrest ex-Police chief till June 15

MUMBAI, June 8: The Mumbai High Court today directed police not to arrest until June 15 former Police Commissioner R D Tyagi against whom an FIR has been filed in a case pertaining to 1992-93 communal riots even as Maharashtra Government opposed his anticipatory bail plea.

Hearing Tyagi’s bail plea, Justice A B Palkar restrained police from arresting the former police chief until June 15 to enable the latter to file a rejoinder to state’s affidavit.

Tyagi had on June 2 moved the anticipatory bail petition. The state sought time to file an affidavit and assured that Tyagi would not be arrested until June 8.

Special Task Force filed an FIR on May 25 last against Tyagi and 16 policemen who resorted to firing in Suleman Usman Bakery here leading to the death of nine persons of a minority community during communal riots 8 years ago.

Tyagi, who was then Joint Commissioner of Police, is charged with issuing orders to his cops to open fire.

In an interesting turn of events, a relative of one of the victims of police firing today filed an application to oppose Tyagi’s bail plea saying that he should be allowed to intervene through his lawyer P A Sebastian.

Abdulla Abul Kasim said he was 12 years old when his father Maulana was allegedly shot dead by police in a Madrasa (religious school) near Suleman Bakery on January 9, 1993.

This is for the first time that the head of police force has been charged with murder of nine persons.

In the affidavit, the state has placed responsibility on Tyagi for police firing since he had gone to Suleman Bakery as the head of special operation squad.

Tyagi, who was the then Joint Police Commissioner, denied in his petition that had ordered the firing. Admitting to have gone with a squad to the area, he said he had waited outside while other policemen went inside the bakery.

Tyagi said he had learnt later that the squad had fired in self-defence after they heard shots coming from rooftop and saw armed men holding weapons hiding behind a water tank.

Tyagi has contended that his act was in discharge of constitutional authority of maintenance of public order.

The former Police Commissioner alleged that there were powerful lobbies pressurising the investigating agency to effect his arrest.

The Government affidavit, on the other hand, said there was ample evidence to show that Tyagi had taken control of the entire situation and that the operation was executed under his leadership.

The affidavit, prepared by senior counsel P R Vakil and affirmed by Assistant Commissioner of Police P N Sonavane, says that it is not a fit case to grant anticipatory bail in view of the nature and seriousness of the offence.

The state denied Tyagi’s contention that investigating agency wanted to malign the former police chief’s reputation by arresting him. If there was any such object, Tyagi would have been arrested long ago.

The affidavit further contended that delay of 9 years in lodging the FIR was no ground to grant anticipatory bail.(PTI)