Home Ministry Has Destroyed Over 1.5 Lakh Files: CPI-M MP

NEW DELHI: Citing media reports, a CPI-M member today claimed in Rajya Sabha that the Home Ministry had destroyed over 1.5 lakh crucial files on the instruction of the Prime Minister, triggering uproar and adjournment of the House.     

Raising the matter during the Zero Hour, P Rajeeve said the destroyed files included some historical documents relating to Mahatma Gandhi's assassination and the Cabinet discussions held immediately thereafter.     

He alleged that instructions to destroy the files were given by the Prime Minister immediately after taking oath, even as the claims were dismissed by the government.     "I would like to know why this decision was taken in a hurry," Rajeeve said, with several members from the opposition benches associating themselves with his concern.     

"You cannot scrap history by destroying secret files," Sharad Yadav (JD-U) said.    

 Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad dismissed the charges, saying, "I deny it emphatically that the Prime Minister had given such instructions."    

 Alleging that such an attempt was intended at destroying records about the alleged involvement of some Hindu elements in Gandhi's assassination, Rajeeve demanded a reply from the Prime Minister.

He was supported by Congress and TMC members.     

While the Chair ruled that the matter should be put to rest after the minister's statement, the members refused to relent and demanded a reply from the Prime Minister.     Sukhendu Sekhar Roy (TMC) demanded that action should be taken against the editors of newspapers who have carried the report if the allegations are proved wrong.     

Amid uproar, the Chair adjourned the House for an hour till 2 PM.