Indore, Sept. 18 -- Organisers share joint responsibility with police for crowd control and entry-exit points at the venue, Madhya Pradesh police said on Friday, citing the Verma Commission report on Rajiv Gandhi's 1991 assassination as part of a security directive for Rahul Gandhi's 'Chhatron ki Goonj' event here.

This led to a major political row ahead of the Congress leader's meeting with students on Saturday, with the Opposition party accusing the ruling BJP of trying to create obstacles.

Congress media department head Pawan Khera alleged that the BJP repeatedly tried to disrupt the process of grant of permission for the programme, and said the saffron party would pay dearly for it. The BJP denied the allegation and claimed that the Opposition party was not extending cooperation to the administration and police.

According to the Congress, the police's security conditions document stated that the "Verma Commission report has analysed the role of event organisers and local political activists in great depth and detail" and the "Commission clarified that the organisers' irresponsible attitude was the primary reason for the security breakdown in the Sriperumbudur incident on May 21, 1991."

Former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, Rahul's father, was assassinated in a suicide bombing at Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, on May 21, 1991. The Verma Commission's mandate was to probe the security lapses that led to the assassination.

Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari claimed that this was the first time the police had mentioned Rajiv Gandhi's assassination in security conditions document for a party event, and it revealed the ruling BJP's intentions.

"First, the government withdrew Rahul Gandhi's SPG security (in 2019), and now his father's assassination is being cited while granting permission for his event," Patwari said.

The BJP was abusing its power to obstruct the event, he alleged.

Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera too criticised the police for mentioning the Verma commission report.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.