Bhagalpur incident finds echo in RS during zero hour

New Delhi, Aug 30 (UNI) Rajya Sabha members today strongly condemned police atrocities on dalits and minorities, specifically last week's incident of a minority youth who was dragged by a police constable after tying him up with his motorcycle at Bhagalpur in Bihar, and urged the Centre to take stern action against the culprits.

Raising the issue during zero hour, Prof Ram Deo Bhandari of the RJD accused the Bihar Government with having failed to prevent the breakdown of law and order in the state and protect minorities and dalits.

He said there was 'police raj' in the state and demanded resignation of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Mr Santosh Bagrodia (Congress), while endorsing the statements of Mr Bhandari, demanded stringent action against culprits.

Ms Brinda Karat (CPM) regretted that caste system still prevailed in the country and incidents of atrocities against dalits were still reported from various places. She cited an instance of Vidarbha region in Maharashtra where a dalit family had been tortured for demanding a well for his parched land.

She demanded intervention by the Home Minister to prevent such incidents.

Mr Shahid Siddiqi (SP) condemned police inaction in Agra yesterday where many people were killed on the occasion of Shab-i-Barat. Had police acted in time, many deaths cold have been prevented, he added.

Earlier as the House took up Zero Hour after the Question Hour ended, there was a heated exchange between BJP leaders including Yashwant Sinha and Mr Siddiqi on one side and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Pachauri on the other.

While Mr Sinha was demanding that the House take up discussion on Indo-US Nuclear Deal, Mr Siddiqi demanded a discussion on atrocities against minorities.

Mr Pachauri said the government was not shying away from discussion on any of the two subjects. But the matters could not be raised now because papers were to be laid on the table of the House.

UNI