Mah Assembly to take up adjournment motion on Navi Mumbai riots

Mumbai, Mar 17 (UNI) Maharashtra Legislative Assembly today decided to take up an adjournment motion on the Navi Mumbai riots which led to three deaths yesterday afternoon.

Speaker Babasaheb Kupekar announced the decision after a 47 minute impromptu debate.

Earlier, Narsayya Adam (CPM) and Vivek Patil (PWP) had given the notice of taking up the discussion on the riots in Ghansoli area of Navi Mumbai near here while Leader of Opposition Ramdas Kadam wanted the issue to be discussed under an adjournment notice submitted by him.

Mr Kadam was supported by BJP leader Gopinath Munde, Wamanrao Chatap of Swatantra Bharat Paksha, Girish Bapat (BJP), Subhash Desai (Shiv Sena) and Sardar Tara Singh of BJP. While the ruling benches including Energy Minister Dilip Walse-Patil, Shashikant Shinde (NCP) wanted a debate under rule 101, citing reasons that a comprehensive debate was required where views from all members could be heard.

Even Mr Adam urged the chair to take up the debate suspending the question hour as an adjournment motion.

The members said the riots on the outskirts of Mumbai, when communal harmony prevailed elsewhere in the State, was a serious matter.

Mr Munde said yesterday's incident was the fourth where people had died in police firing and lashed out at the Government for the deteriorating law and order. Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil took objection to Mr Munde's comments and said people had to resort to firing as a last resort, as all attempts to quell the rampaging mob had failed.

Three persons were killed in the riots yesterday following an eve teasing incident on Holi a day earlier.

UNI MR GK SB KN1410