The Hindu : Arrest of blast accused shows RSS in poor light: Congress

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Sep 16, 2003

Other States

Other States - Rajasthan

Arrest of blast accused shows RSS in poor light: Congress

By Our Staff Correspondent

BHOPAL SEPT. 15. The senior Congress MP, Suresh Pachouri, who heads the media panel of the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee, today emphasised that there was evidence to indicate that Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is bent upon disrupting peace and destroying the fabric of communal amity.

Mr. Pachouri made this assertion at a Press conference at the State Congress headquarters here. He cited the example of the 1993 Neemuch bomb explosion and said that investigations following the arrest of one of the prime accused in this case, Kalu Singh, who had been absconding all these years, have revealed that RSS men were making bombs at the Neemuch office of Seva Bharti, which is closely associated with the RSS.

He told newsmen that in the absence of evidence, the accused who were being tried in the Neemuch case had been acquitted by Court in April 2000. "However, since fresh evidence has now surfaced with the arrest of Kalu Singh, the State Government should reopen the case and approach the trial court for a fresh review."

The Congress leader condemned the RSS spokesman, Ram Madhav's attempt to defend Kalu Singh at a press conference here yesterday. It would have been better if he had sought action against those engaged in making bombs, he said, asserting that Kalu Singh has admitted that some RSS men were using the Seva Bharti office for making bombs. Kalu Singh was an office-bearer of Vishwa Hindu Parishad and engaged as a teacher in a Shishu Mandir school, which is again closely associated with the RSS, Mr. Pachouri told newsmen.

In a separate development today, the State BJP spokesman, Kailash Vijavargiya, defended Kalu Singh, the Neemuch Bomb case accused, saying that he had been forced to give a false statement by the police. He also circulated copies of Kalu Singh's "dying declaration" of 1993, which said that the bomb explosion had caught him absolutely by surprise. When a senior police officer was approached to comment on this, he said the dying declaration made by a "fugitive" should not be trusted as credible evidence.

"The police investigation and subsequent arrests linked with the recent murder of the Congress leader, Pyare Singh Ninama, and his son in Indore district and the questions subsequently raised by the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Digvijay Singh, are a clear pointer that the RSS is bent upon disturbing peace," Mr. Pachouri stated.

In an attempt to expose the RSS further, Mr. Pachouri read out an excerpt from the Centre's order banning this organisation in February 1948. Mr. Pachouri said the Government had at that stage reiterated its commitment to "root out forces of hatred and violence" while declaring the RSS as an illegal outfit. The order went on to add that the some RSS members were indulging in violence, loot, arson, dacoity and murder.

Mr. Pachouri informed newsmen that the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, whose proposed tour to Birsinghpur for laying the foundation stone of a power plant was postponed at the last moment due to bad weather, would now be touring the State on September 29 and 30.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Other States

News Update

Stories in this Section

NDA unfit to fight terrorism, says Pawar

Arrest of blast accused shows RSS in poor light: Congress