Sharma (centre) in custody

Ever since R.K. Sharma, the FORMER Haryana IGP accused of plotting journalist Shivani Bhatnagar's murder, surrendered before an Ambala court, things haven't gone quite as he planned. The Crime Branch of the Delhi Police confronted him with another accused in the case, Ved Sharma, along with statements made by three other accused. Initial interrogation revolved around his intimate relationship with Shivani. He could not explain to investigators what made Shivani call him repeatedly for months after she delivered a child. Neither could he justify his contacts with the other accused or the tapped conversations among them.

The place where Sharma was questioned-a police station in north Delhi-turned into a mini-fortress with complainants being asked to go to a neighbouring police station. Top Delhi Police officials indicated that the questioning took place in the "right direction". Only the strength of the chargesheet that needs to be filed by October 29-three months after the arrest of the first accused-will show whether the direction was right or wrong.

-Sayantan Chakravarty

OBITUARY

RAUNAQ SINGH 1922-2002

After Indira Gandhi came to power in 1966, she had very few supporters in the corporate world except a few Punjabi entrepreneurs. Some had money and style, like H.P. Nanda of Escorts and Bhai Mohan Singh of Max India. Others were brash like Raunaq Singh, the refugee from Lahore who ran a steel-pipe shop in Old Delhi and often regaled the Gandhi family with earthy jokes about the Birlas, Tatas, Singhanias and other dinosaurs of the business world. Those were the days of Indira's heady plunge into socialism, and the state was gobbling up every avenue of free enterprise-banks, insurance, coal, steel. Sanjay Gandhi, Indira's younger son, dreamt of building "a people's car" that would break the Birla monopoly of the Ambassador. "Crony socialism" was in the air. Raunaq was the most vocal champion of Sanjay's car project, Maruti, and the first chairman of the company. He had used the licence-permit to set up Apollo Tyres, which was front-runner in filling the void in the tyre industry after the 1973 FERA had shaken down foreign holdings in the Indian operations of Goodyear, Dunlop and Ceat. The Janata Party government of Morarji Desai came down heavily on Apollo Tyres, but Indira's return in 1980 saved the company. However, the jovial businessman began to lose his political savvy caught up in a dispute with his son, Onkar Singh Kanwar. On September 19, 12 days before his death at the age of 80, he had resigned as chairman of Apollo Tyres. His best years, however, were as a member of Indira's charmed circle.

-Sumit Mitra

A House Divided

The Union Government is more than satisfied by the turnout and participation in Jammu and Kashmir elections, but the ruling BJP itself may have very little to cheer about. Reports received at its Ashok Road party headquarters in Delhi indicate that the voters, particularly in Jammu, have not been taken in by the RSS move to float a new front to advocate its radical proposition to trifurcate the state into Ladakh, Kashmir Valley and Jammu. The BJP had to pay the price for the Sangh misadventure. National Conference President Omar Abdullah has virtually announced that his party's presence in the NDA will, at best, be notional.

-Rajeev Deshpande

SIGNPOSTS

AWARDED: To R. Mashelkar, scientist, the Sir M. Vishveshwaraya Award by the Kolhapur Engineers Foundation.

BANNED: Actor Salman Khan's entry into Rajasthan, by the Shiv Sena, for hurting the feelings of animal lovers and committing criminal offences.

DIED: Choudhary Mohammad Hussain, 73, J&K minister, in Jammu.

RECOGNISED: A miracle attributed to Mother Teresa, by Vatican cardinals and bishops. This makes the grant of sainthood by Pope John Paul II a formality.

APPOINTED: N. Gopalaswamy, Union culture secretary, as the new Union home secretary.

DIED: Devendra Prasad Singh, 90, JP movement veteran and former Rajya Sabha member, in Patna.