Southern States
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Kerala-Thiruvananthapuram
Violence: BJP demands prompt action
By Our Special Correspondent
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, DEC. 8. The BJP has demanded immediate and stringent action by the Government to bring the situation precipitated by the violence unleashed in Pathanamthitta town and nearby places allegedly by National Development Front (NDF) workers last night and steps to prevent its recurrence.
The State general secretary of the party, Mr. P.P. Mukundan, told a press conference here today that the action should include arrest of the culprits and payment of full compensation to the victims.
He claimed that the violence which was totally unprovoked was unprecedented. The authorities however attributed it to a dispute over the pasting of posters. Around 2,000 persons summoned through muezzins' call from three mosques in the area were responsible for it. They damaged two workshops, a dozen buses, 33 shops and a cinema house. Seven Sabarimala pilgrims who were injured in the attack were in hospital.
They also set fire to the district office of the BJP. There was nothing left in the building costing over Rs. 15 lakhs. The attack which began at 10-30 p.m. continued till 2 a.m. The Dy.SP who had led a police party to the scene reportedly said that he managed to escape with life. Even though the police subsequently managed to take a couple of persons into custody, they were forcibly released by a mob.
Mr. Mukundan said there was an impression that such attacks were being mounted on the strength of the patronage and protection given by the Government. If not, how did they take place during the holy month of Ramadan? If not, the Muslim League and the Congress should openly and strongly condemn such attacks. The other constituents of the UDF should also do so.
He described the incident as the biggest blot to the image of the UDF Government. It seemed to be handling the situation lightly. It should either take stringent action against those who wrecked communal amity or quit. Did the Chief Minister who had earlier stated that there were no religious fundamentalist groups in Kerala still hold that view? If not, he should fall in line with the other States, including those ruled by the Congress to use POTO to handle such groups.
He said that the incident was not an isolated one but part of a series of such incidents which had been taking place in different parts of the State. Large scale violence took place only in Kerala on the anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6. The Sabarimala pilgrims were attacked even though they had been exempted. So was the press. Such violence did not take place even in communally volatile Maharashtra or Ayodhya. The Government was understood to have received intelligence report about the likelihood of violence on that day. He warned that the BJP would have to think in terms of setting up a self defence force for protecting itself if the Government did not do anything to contain such violence.
Mr. Mukundan said in reply to a question that the BJP State unit had already demanded the banning of the NDF. He did not give a direct reply to another as to whether it would ask the Chief Minister to relinquish the home portfolio. It only did not wanted such incidents to recur. The soil should not become fertile for fundamentalist activities. Law and order was a State subject was his response when asked whether the party would seek Central intervention. He also offered the party's unstinted cooperation for the Government's efforts to restore peace in Pathanamthitta.
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