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Joginder's book leaves Bofors alone, dwells on Rao

Bofors was like a mighty 'albatross' around the Central Bureau of Investigation's neck.

So says former CBI director Joginder Singh in Without fear or favour, his expected-to-be controversial autobiograpy which will be released this week.

Singh, however, has resisted from dwelling on the 'albatross' -- sensitive, sensitive! -- too much. Instead, he has concentrated his efforts on former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao. His none-too-friendly meeting with PV is spelt out with all juicy details. And so is his interaction with H D Deve Gowda who appointed him the CBI chief.

But Bofors, no -- it is too sensitive for literary efforts.

The 325-page book, thus, keeps mum on the report submitted to the Cabinet secretary in May, seeking sanction to proceed against former officials allegedly involved in the Rs 640-million kickbacks in the 1986 howitzer deal.

Singh, however, seems to have no qualms about letting his hair down on then Punjab police chief K P S Gill -- details abound about his perceptions of Gill's way of tackling terrorism in that state, as also the efforts to bring back the Bofors papers all the way from Berne.

The biography, which has a foreword from former United News of India correspondent Rajeev Sharma, also elaborates on measures for toning up the CBI's functioning.

Narrating events in his personal life, Singh describes how he was left behind the baraat of his own marriage by mistake. The incident, he writes, had sent out a false alarm to the bride's family that it was aimed at extracting dowry -- fortunately, he managed to step in before things got out of hand.

UNI

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