Punish perpetrators of Bhiwandi violence;SS-BJP tells govt

Mumbai, July 6 (UNI) Shiv Sena-BJP in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly today criticised the Democratic Front (DF) government for being ''soft'' on the perpetrators of violence against the police in the powerloom town of Bhiwandi with ''an eye on minority votes and hurting the morale of the police''.

Initiating a debate on an adjournment motion on yesterday's Bhiwandi violence where several police officials were severely injured and two persons died in police firing, Leader of Opposition Ramdas Kadam accused Samajwadi party MP Abu Asim Azmi of inciting violence against the police and demanded stern action against him.

Mr Kadam also demanded that the ministers like Baba Siddique and Anees Ahmed and MLA Naseem Khan be sacked because they had gone to Bhiwandi allegedly to incite violence.

Mr Kadam said the culprits had set public transport on fire and brutally killed two police constables.

''The government should reply whether it will book Azmi under MCOCA as his presence at Bhiwandi yesterday had incited the anti-social elements belonging to the minority community to attack the police,''he demanded pointing out that during elections, Congress and NCP always seek his help to get the minority votes.

Mr Kadam said the Kabrastan committee had tried to claim the plot which belonged to the state government since 1920. ''The anti-social elements hurled bricks and stones on the police and grievously injured them. This is not an attack on the police but on the state'', he added.

Mr Kadam charged that the Kabrastan committee and Raza Academy who were opposing the contruction of a police station had organised a protest demonstration at Azad Maidan recently and had declared that ''they do not heed to police and state machinery and they would take over the land as per the Shariat law''.

Mr Kadam asked Deputy Chief MInister R R Patil to withdraw his assurance of Rs one lakh each to the two persons who died in police firing and also not to go ahead with his assurance that the police station construction work will be stayed. This will dent the confidence and morale of the police further, he warned.

Intervening during the opposition leader's speech, Naseem Khan said he did not visit Bhiwandi while Siddique said he had gone there to appeal for peace.

''If the government does not protect the police from the anti-social elements in the minority community, Hindus will have to do the same'', he said and charged that some elements in the minority community feel that they could do get away with anything because the Congress-NCP government will not act against them.

Speaking on the occasion, BJP leader Gopinath Munde described the violence in which police officials were seriously injured and the brutal killing of two constables as ''inhuman and blot on humanity''. He demanded that the culprits be booked under Section 302 of IPC including certain leaders irrespective of whether they are MPs who provoke violence to become leaders of their communities.

Mr Munde said no procession was allowed in Bhiwandi after the 1962 and 1970 riots.

''Why was a protest march allowed recently. Similarly, the government has failed to take action against those who resorted to violence after the huge morcha of muslims at azad maidan in march this year to protest against the visit of US president George W Bush'', he said.

He slammed the government for being quite despite slogans and speeches during the morcha glorifing Laden and Al Qaeda from whom the Indian state also faces threat. ''After Kashmir, Maharashtra has become a haven for terror activities'', he charged.

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