Communal situation largely under control: Patil

New Delhi, May 16: Home Minister Shivraj Patil today assured the Lok Sabha that the communal situation in the country was by and large under control and that the Centre had advised the states to take necessary steps to check communal disturbances.

Making a statement following a calling attention moved on the issue by Mr Basudeb Acharia (CPI-M), Mr Gurudas Dasgupta (CPI) and three others, he said the Centre had obtained a stay order from the Supreme Court on May 4 against the demolition of the dargah of Rasiduddin Rehamatullah Aleh at Vadodara and informed the Gujarat government.

The Vadodara Municipal Corporation had gone to remove the dargah as part of its anti-encroachment drive under a Gujarat High Court order.

''The situation in Vadodara is now under control. However, vigil is being maintained,'' Mr Patil said and listed five other major incidents of communal violence that took place in various parts of the country this year.

Taking part in the discussion, which was subsequently given up as it was decided to take up the issue for a debate under Rule 193 to enable wider participation, Mr Acharia demanded a judicial inquiry into the Vadodara incidents.

According to Mr Patil's statement, 243 people were killed in 787 communal incidents in 2000, followed by 221 deaths in 823 such incidents in 2001. The figures for the subsequent years were 1,130 deaths in 722 incidents in 2002, 193 deaths in 711 occurrences in 2003, 134 killings in 677 incidents in 2004, 124 deaths in 779 incidents in 2005 and 58 killings in 198 incidents in 2006 (till May 12).

UNI

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