Chidambaram regrets remarks on Karkare's death

Home Minister P Chidambaram today said that the questions being raised about the circumstances in which Hemant Karkare, chief of the Anti-Terrorist Agency (ATS) of the Maharashtra Police, was killed were "wrong and deeply regrettable".

"There is no truth whatsoever in the suspicion that there was a conspiracy to eliminate Karkare or others", Chidambaram told the Lok Sabha.

"There is no truth in the different versions that have been circulated about the movement of Karkare on that fateful day," he added.

Chidambaram’ statement came even as minister for minority affairs A R Antulay refused to relent from his statement that Karkare and other two senior ATS officers had died under mysterious circumstances which need to be investigated.

However, the opposition Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) members staged a walk-out from the House in protest against government’s refusal to take action against Antulay for his remarks.

Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned twice on the same issue.