New Delhi, Sept. 15: The Centre has for the moment focused on the failure to delete the “offending” part of the “Ram setu” affidavit rather than the mystery of who wrote it.

Culture minister Ambika Soni has suspended two Archaeological Survey of India officials — director (administration) Chandra Shekhar and assistant director (monuments) V. Bakshi — for omitting to carry out her deletion order.

Shekhar has been involved with the Sethusamudram case since the time it was in Madras High Court. “He has been following the stand of the ASI right through the various meetings,” Ambika said.

Bakshi was ferrying the file from one department to another. “One of them was responsible,” the minister said.

Ambika said the officials had admitted to the oversight, but an ASI source said: “No one can be absolved from this responsibility. Bakshi is a junior officer. He has to cart the file from one place to another. The file couldn’t have gone back without going through senior ministry officials.”

The culture secretary has asked ASI director-general Anshu Vaish to explain the lapse. The ASI has ordered a departmental inquiry.

The question of who wrote paragraph 20 — the stuff of conspiracy theories — however, remains unsolved.

Sources claimed the ASI knew little about the controversial contents of the affidavit — vetted by the culture, shipping and law ministries — and feared the organisation would be made a scapegoat.

Soni has promised to be fair. “I will not allow anyone to become a scapegoat,” she said. “Both these officers will be given a chance to tell their side (of the events),” she said.