New Delhi: In a surprise action, the Centre on June 13 termed as "correct" the Narasimha Rao government's decision to ban the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on the basis of justice Bahri Commission findings that the organisation's leaders had made "provocative speeches" during the demolition of the disputed structure at Ayodhya.

"It was a correct measure of the Centre, as it was based on provocative statements made by Ashok Singhal, Sadhvi Rithambara and Acharya Dharmendra Dev," Centre's counsel Lala Ram Gupta told Liberhan Commission probing the events leading to demolition of the disputed structure on December 6, 1992.

Ruling out any conspiracy in the demolition, he said at the most it may have been a "plan" devised by any person.

"If at all there was any conspiracy, it would have been limited to 605 Shiv Sainiks, who allegedly had plans to hold kar seva at garbh griha (sanctum sanctorum)," he said.

However, Shiv Sena leader Moreshvar Save had ruled out any role of the party or its leaders in the demolition, he pointed out.

Though there were intelligence reports that this group had a meeting on November 28, 1992 at Faizabad and decided to do the kar seva, there was no evidence to corroborate this, Gupta added.

Denying that security arrangements around the disputed structure were not "proper", he, however, admitted that these proved to be insufficient as it failed to stop the mob frenzy.

PTI