(Asian Age, 15 July 2008)
‘Riots in Indore pre-planned’
Indore, July 15: Alleging that violence in Indore during the July 3 VHP’s "Bharat Bandh" was "preplanned", the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) on Tuesday asked the Madhya Pradesh government to order an impartial inquiry into the riots in which eight persons were killed. "It seems that some communal elements, in order to disturb peaceful atmosphere, resorted to large scale violence in a preplanned way," an NCM delegation noted.
Led by its chairman Mohammed Shafi Qureshi, the NCM delegation, which arrived here on a three-day visit, toured the riot-affected areas in Indore.
Mr Qureshi, a former Madhya Pradesh governor, asked the government to ensure that those involved in the riots are not only exposed but also prosecuted. Describing Amarnath Yatra as "a symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity", the NCM chairman regretted that the allotment of land to the shrine board was communalised and attempts were made to vitiate atmosphere in the country.
The VHP-sponsored shutdown, supported by the ruling BJP, was called to protest the Jammu and Kashmir government’s decision to cancel the land allotment. Mr Qureshi also sought protection for the eyewitnesses to the riots on July 3 and 4. About possible involvement of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (Simi) in the riots, he said it was be too early to blame anyone. —PTI
|
