'Chandraswami Arranged Funds'

LAWYERS and senior Congressmen admit Mahant Sewa Dass Singh, president of the Shaheed Pheru Man Shermani Akali Dal, is a key witness who could throw light on the conspiracy behind Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, involving Khalistani and Kashmiri militants and the LTTE. Sewa Dass has already deposed before the Jain Commission and since he was on the hitlist of various Punjab and Kashmir militant groups, he had been provided with Z-plus security. But in a curious move, the Punjab government, which was asked to provide cover by the home ministry, has scaled down his security and taken away his bullet-proof car. Sewa Dass fears the worst and believes that he could become the target of those who do not want him to testify in a court of law.

"The manner in which my security has been withdrawn is frightening. They (Punjab government) have systematically reduced the security provided to me and to my family. Now I have Y category security and I fear that what happened to Rajivji could also happen to me," Sewa Dass told Outlook.The mahant lives in Delhi, while his family is in Punjab and has been keeping a low profile, away from the media glare. But with the Congress pressing for the Jain Commission report to be tabled in Parliament and the possibility of formal investigations into the conspiracy being initiated, Sewa Dass fears that he could be targeted.

The information Sewa Dass has gives a new twist to Rajiv Gandhi's death. On December 26, 1990, the mahant travelled to London to meet his long-time friend, Dr Jagjit Singh Chauhan, the UK-based Khalistani leader. The mission: to talk peace. Sewa Dass told the Jain Commission that before leaving the country he met the then prime minister, Chandra Shekhar, who had a message for Chauhan—that Punjab militants should put an end to the violence so that the government could arrive at a solution through negotiations.

Dass met Chauhan on December 27 at Khalistan House and was informed that at that precise moment, a group of people were meeting on the first floor. They were representatives of the Babbar Khalsa, Khalistan Commando Force (KCF), LTTE and the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF). Sewa Dass claims he was taken to the room and asked to articulate Chandra Shekhar's message. Among those introduced to Sewa Dass were Talwinder Singh Parmar of the Babbar Khalsa, Ajit Singh Khera of the KCF and R.M. Pradi of the LTTE.

According to the mahant, Chauhan told the gathering that they should work towards keeping Chandra Shekhar in power and that in return he should withdraw the CRPF from Punjab, for a while. This, he said, would enable militant groups to smuggle weapons from Afghanistan via Pakistan. Recalls Sewa Dass: "What Dr Chauhan was suggesting was that they should temporarily stop the militancy and start stockpiling arms to be ready to launch a prolonged war. I told them that the withdrawal of the CRPF was a ridiculous demand." It was when Chauhan was asked how

Chandra Shekhar would continue in power with only 55 MPs that the plot to kill Rajiv Gandhi came to light. The Khalistani leader said the Congress would soon be 'headless' since they had decided to eliminate Rajiv Gandhi. Once the deed was done, the field would be open for anyone to take over the party as the Congress had no second-rung leaders. Talwinder Singh Parmar told Sewa Dass that Rajiv's days were numbered. The JKLF representative asked the mahant to convey to the Delhi leadership that the Congress president would be eliminated.

Chauhan even told the meeting that the assassination would take place in the Parliament Annexe sometime in January or February. At which point, Sewa Dass claims he objected and said this would lead to the victimisation of the Sikh community. "I reminded them of the 4,000 innocent Sikhs who lost their lives after Indira Gandhi's assassination. I told them that killing Rajiv Gandhi would not in any way help the Sikhs and that he should instead try to resolve issues through dialogue. However, Dr Chauhan said they had already decided on their line of action and they would stick by it."

SEWA Dass claims he took the Khalistani militant leader aside and tried to impress upon him the folly of assassinating a national leader. The next day he met Chauhan at Khalistan House again. Sewa Dass told the Jain Commission that the Khalistani militant leader had informed him that they had decided to carry out the assassination at a place away from Delhi. He said financial arrangements were being made for collecting arms for the purpose. Asked about the source of funds, he told Sewa Dass that their good friend Chandraswami, who had links with arms dealers, was arranging it.

Sewa Dass also told the Jain Commission of Talwinder Singh Parmar's meeting—Chauhan had told him of it—with some senior Indian leaders in Bombay to inform them that Khalistan would be a reality. The militant leader drove home the point that Sewa Dass should give up his soft and non-violent approach and push for hardline measures since a separate state for the Sikhs was a possibility.

On his return, Sewa Dass was granted an appointment with Chandra Shekhar at his Parliament House office on January 3, 1991, at 5 pm. Sukh Dev Prasad, governor of Rajasthan, and Bansi Lal were with the prime minister. When they left, the Akali leader handed over a letter from Chauhan where he stated that he had explained "everything" to the mahant. The then prime minister was told about the plot to kill Rajiv. But Chandra Shekhar rubbished it as an empty threat—tall claims militants often make.

Sewa Dass feels that he was not taken seriously since he was not an important leader. "My information was dismissed perhaps because I was a small-time leader and not a minister." Chandra Shekhar has denied that the plot to kill Rajiv was ever discussed with him. But the mahant insists that he did fill in the then prime minister with details of the London congregation.

He tried to meet Rajiv Gandhi. Since he could not get an appointment, he contacted Rajya Sabha MP Ratnakar Pande who was close to the Congress leader. Sewa Dass told Pande of the plot on January 5. While they were talking, a senior Maharashtra Congressmen called. Pande briefed him on what he had heard. The mahant returned to Punjab. His appointment with Rajiv Gandhi was fixed for 1 pm on February 10, 1991, at Parliament House. The Akali leader claims Rajiv was "unnerved" when he told him about Chauhan's threat. In fact, Rajiv wanted to see him again. The meeting took place at his residence a few days later where Sewa Dass says he requested Rajiv to use his good offices and provide him with security as he was privy to dangerous information. The Congress president obliged. The Akali leader also met Narasimha Rao at his Motilal Nehru Marg residence and informed him about the plot.

When he came to know of Rajiv Gandhi's assassination at Sriperumbudur, Sewa Dass says he called Chauhan in London who told him that the assassination had been carried out as planned. The killing, according to Chauhan, was the job of the Babbar Khalsa, Khalistan Commando Force, the LTTE and the JKLF. This fact is also part of Sewa Dass' deposition before the Jain Commission.

Despite having this key information, no investigating agency has questioned Sewa Dass. The conspiracy angle has been left to the Jain Commission. Strangely, vital documents in the Rajiv Gandhi case have disappeared. A briefcase with important documents was snatched from a senior CBI officer at Heathrow airport; the Jain Commission had appended a wireless intercept between Jaffna and Tamil Nadu, detailing the larger conspiracy, to the terms of reference—the document disappeared from the PMO. This was when Rao was PM.

According to home ministry whispers, the Rajiv case could take a new turn once the Jain Commission report is tabled and if the CBI probes the larger conspiracy. But there are many persons in high places who do not want this to happen.