Vilasrao Deshmukh

New Delhi/Mumbai, Aug. 10: Chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh is believed to have told Congress bosses in Delhi he can do “little” about the Srikrishna Commission report beyond asking police to take a fresh look at the ’92-93 riot cases.

His alleged remarks reflect many state Congress leaders’ ambiguity on the issue despite Sonia Gandhi’s nudge to Deshmukh for “sincere” implementation of the report that indicts many Shiv Sena politicians and police officers over the massacre of 900 Muslims.

Deshmukh today handed over the cases detailed in the Srikrishna report to the police to decide if they — and how many of them — should be reopened. The police will set up a special cell to re-examine 1,371 cases marked “true (they happened) but undetected”.

The police have time till October before they face the Supreme Court, hearing petitions questioning the nine-year inaction on the report.

Sources said Sonia wants to “correct” the perception that the government spared the Hindus involved in the December-January riots but went after Muslims after the March 12 Bombay blasts.

Many Congress leaders, however, say a broader perspective is necessary. Their uneasiness is caused by:

The perception that Bombay blasts judge Pramod Kode and special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam have emerged “urban, middle-class heroes” after the tough verdicts

The fear of a Sena resurrection fuelled by cries of “Muslim appeasement”

The indictment of three leaders of the Congress, which ruled the state in ’ 92-93

The fear of police morale being hit by the panel’s accusation of communal bias

Ally Nationalist Congress Party’s overtures to the Sena after the presidential poll strained BJP-Sena ties.

The government’s unease could affect the cases against Bal Thackeray, named in the report. Of the eight cases against the Sena chief, four have been withdrawn and can’t be reopened by the police without a government nod.

Of the rest, two are tagged “false (didn’t happen) and undetected”, while the status of the other two is unknown. The 1,371 cases being reconsidered can at best include these two.

Deshmukh’s outlook on Hindu-Muslim questions has been dubbed “ambivalent”. He is said to have once asked aides why he had to “carry the burden of secularism”.