In a setback to L K Advani in the Babri Masjid demolition case, a senior IPS officer today told a special CBI court at Rae Bareli that the BJP leader made provocative speech at Ayodhya on the day the structure was brought down 17 years ago.<br/><br/>Deposing as a prosecution witness in the case, 1990-batch officer Anju Gupta said, Murli Manohar Joshi and Sangh activists like Vinay Katiyar, Uma Bharti and Sadhvi Rithambhara also made provocative speeches. The officer said, no leader ever appealed to stop the demolition, even as she saw people carrying tools like shovels and rods. Ms Gupta, who was the personal security officer of Advani during that period, told the court that Advani and other BJP leaders had repeatedly said that a Ram temple will be built at the same spot where the 16th century mosque stood. After her deposition, Gupta was cross-examined by the defence.<br/><br/>The court later adjourned the hearing in the case to April 23 when cross-examination of the IPS officer will resume. Ms Gupta, who is currently posted with R&AW in Delhi, had earlier deposed before the CBI, which probed the demolition of the 16th century mosque. She had made a detailed statement on the movement and activities of various Sangh leaders, including Advani, during the incident of December 6, 1992. It formed a key part of the criminal case the CBI filed against Advani, Joshi, Bharti, Katiyar, Ashok Singhal, Giriraj Kishore, Vishnu Hari Dalmiya and Rithambhara in 1993.<br/><br/>Meanwhile, the BJP has refused to comment on the deposition by senior IPS officer, Anju Gupta before a Special CBI court as a prosecution witness in the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition case. The party spokesman, Mr. Ramnalth Kovind said that since the issue is sub-judice, the law will take its own course.<br/><br/>In its reaction on the issue, the Congress said that the BJP and its leaders already<br/><br/>stand convicted in the bar of public opinion over 18 years ago. The party spokeperson Abhishek Singhvi told newsmen in New Delhi today that what was witnessed in December 1992 is now entering a phase of legal proof and legal finality. He said that this is the first official direct eyewitness testimony in the legal sense on this matter and the provisions involved in the case are extremely serious as they involve creating animosity between communities . Mr. Singhvi, however, said that there is a need to have a sense of balance and restraint as the judicial process is still on and it will not be fair to pre-judge the verdict.<br/><br/>The CPIM leader, Mrs. Brinda Karat said that the whole country knows that the BJP and its leaders, including Mr. L.K. Advani were present at the time of demolition.