Situation improves

By Our Special Correspondent

MUMBAI, OCT. 31. The situation in Malegaon improved considerably today and the authorities relaxed the curfew for three hours in the morning to enable people to buy essentials.

``We hope to relax the curfew for more hours tomorrow if no untoward incident occurs,'' said Mr. Chhagan Bhujbal, Deputy Chief Minister, who holds the Home portfolio. Coloumns of the Army and the Rapid Action Force, the Central Industrial Security Force besides units of the State Reserve Police, continued to patrol the town and several villages around it.

The authorities prevented Dr. Pravin Togadia, General Secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), from going to Jalgaon to attend Maha Suraksha Sammelan organised by the VHP and the Bajrang Dal. Similar actions were taken against 400 others.

Mr. Bhujbal said 13 persons were killed in Malegaon, including nine in police firing. The police arrested 638 persons and registered 57 cases of rioting and arson, including 27 in Malegaon town.

Security had been beefed up in Mumbai, Thane, Jalgaon and Nashik to prevent any fallout of the Malegaon trouble, he said.

UNI reports from Nashik:

A fresh incident of riot-scare in Kalwan and Nampur villages forced the police to fire in the air to disperse a mob today, while a similar incident had occurred in the Satana Tehsil on Tuesday night where miscreants set six shops afire.

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AIMMM blames police

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, OCT. 31. Syed Shahabuddin, president of the All India Muslim Majlis e Mushawarat (AIMMM), has come down hard on the Maharashtra Government over the communal violence in Malegoan. Demanding an inquiry into ``police high-handedness'', the AIMMM president said ``the violence at Malegoan was more a case of State terrorism and less of a communal conflict''.

The AIMMM has, in a statement, accused the State Reserve Police (SRP) of acting ``brutally and communally and firing selectively against the Muslims''. The SRP like the PAC of the Uttar Pradesh, is known for its anti-Muslim bias ``largely due to the virtual exclusion of Muslims from its ranks and command structure,'' it alleged.

It called on the State Government to probe the circumstances leading to the confrontation, and to suspend and prosecute the policemen on prima facie evidence. It sought compensation for the loss of life, limb and property to all the victims.

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