Clashes in RS over Muzzaffarnagar incident

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, AUG. 6. The Rajya Sabha today witnessed verbal duel between the members of Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the recent violence in Muzzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh.

The issue cropped up during zero hour when Prof. Ram Gopal Yadav (SP) charged that BJP members were allegedly attempting to give a communal twist and creating tension in the city after some objectionable literature was dumped in a mosque.

Mr. Yadav said the BJP also made attempts to forcibly down the shutters of shops owned by majority community to enforce a bandh and targetted those belonging to the minority community.

The remarks drew protests from the BJP, with Mr. Rajnath Singh accusing the SP of engineering trouble in an ``organised manner''. He said the administration had moved in swiftly to restore calm and arrested members of both communities. He also said the SP members were keen to give a twist as the Assembly elections were due in the State. His comments led to protests from the SP members.

Mr. Kalraj Mishra (BJP) termed the development as unfortunate and said for the past few months, several places of worship were targetted by anti-nationals. He referred to the role of south- based Deenadar Anjuman organisation in the bomb blasts in churches last year.

While referring to the murder of Phoolan Devi, Mr. Mishra said initially Mr. Amar Singh of SP had levelled charges against the BJP but investigations were now showing something different. Mr. Amar Singh was quick to retort that his charge was based on a visit of a BJP State Minister to the house of the slain MP, a day before her killing. He said Phoolan Devi's family too had levelled similar charges.

Mr. Suresh Pachauri (Congress) suggested deputing a Parliamentary team to the area and said even the Human Rights Commission in its report had said the minorities in Uttar Pradesh did not feel secure.

UNI reports:

The Union Home Minister, Mr. L.K. Advani, reiterated that the modus operandi of Moradabad killings in Uttar Pradesh indicated towards the possible hand of denotified tribes and it did not appear to have communal background.

Replying to clarifications sought by the members on his August 2 statement, he also discounted the possibility of criminal assault of any female inmates in the incident that occurred in Saraswan village. Only a medical report of the woman could state if there had been any rape. Initial reports in the FIR or the memorandum submitted by the SP did not contain anything about removal of clothes or rape. These were issues raised after the political groups started visiting the spot, he added.

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