Amid reports about Mumbai Police Crime Branch Chief Rakesh Maria's offer to resign if Home Ministry does not clarify allegations levelled against him by Vinita Kamte, the slain IPS officer Ashok Kamte's widow said she stands by each and every word in the book written by her.
"I'm ready to face any questions raised by anyone about everything written in my book. I stand by each and every word," Vinita told PTI over phone from Pune.
"My book is based on the facts given by the Mumbai police using the RTI Act," she said.
In her book, Vinita has criticised Maria for denying that he had guided her husband to Cama hospital where he fell to terrorists' bullets along with Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad Chief Hemant Karkare and encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar.
Maria had reportedly shot off a letter to state Home Minister R R Patil yesterday offering to quit if the government did not make a clarification on the allegations or allowed him to do that.
Maria was not immediately available for comments. Vinita said she was initially reluctant about writing the book "but my desire to find out the truth about what happened on the night of November 26 leading to my husband's death ultimately triumphed."
In her book titled 'To The Last Bullet', Vinita questioned why Joint Police Commissioner (Crime) Rakesh Maria, who took charge of Police Control Room during the 59-hour siege, had denied knowledge of how Ashok, Additional Police Commissoner (East), landed up in Cama Hospital despite having himself asked him to go there.
The book was released on Tuesday by noted social activist Aruna Roy and former Mumbai Police Commissioner Julio Rebeiro at a function organised at the Taj hotel, one of the scenes of 26/11 terror attack last year.
The controversy triggered by the book written by Ashok Kamte's widow has spurred the sales of the book.
"Our first edition got sold out on the day it was released. We are in the midst of a reprint and new stock would hit the markets tomorrow," Ulhas Latkar of Ameya Publications, which published 'To The Last Bullet', told PTI.
"The demand is so great that we are not able to cope with it. Orders are pouring in from metros, centres like Indore and Bhopal and numerous small places," Latkar said. However, he declined to specify the number of copies sold and in press.
A Marathi edition of the book is on way and would be available in the second week of December, he said.
In the book, released on the eve of the first anniversary of the 26/11 terror attacks, Vinita Kamte has alleged that Mumbai Police Crime Branch chief Rakesh Maria "mishandled" 26/11 operations.
Vanita Deshmukh, co-author of the book, said the book is based on the facts given by the Mumbai police using the RTI Act. "We have said everything in black and white. We have nothing to add. It is now for the government to act," Deshmukh said.
