The Hindu : Cong. politicising Jhabua incident: Bharti

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 21, 2004

Other States

Other States - Madhya Pradesh

Cong. politicising Jhabua incident: Bharti

By Our Staff Correspondent

The Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Uma Bharti, meeting people associated with `Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram' and `Hindu Jagran Manch' from Jhabua in Bhopal on Tuesday. Photo: A.M. Faruqui

BHOPAL, JAN. 20 .The Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Uma Bharti, today met a huge delegation from Jhabua that had come to meet her in connection with the recent communal incident at Amkhut village in which one person was killed. She asked them to show restrain and stop using offensive slogans.

The Chief Minister assured members of the majority community led by the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram that the State Government would take every necessary step to maintain communal amity and peace in the State.

Addressing the delegation, Ms. Bharti said that the Opposition Congress was trying to politicise the Jhabua incident in which one Arjun Pal had been killed.

The State Director General of Police had told a press conference, which he had addressed jointly with the Chief Minister this past weekend, that there was a group clash after those in a religious procession had started raising objectionable slogans when they came near the Church at Amkhut village. In this incident, Arjun Pal--a 25- year- old villager--was killed after being shot at allegedly by a member belonging to a minority community.

Ms. Bharti praised the people of Jhabua for maintaining peace but at the same time chided those in the delegation for raising derogatory and objectionable slogans against the minority Christian community. She said that the people of this country were respected all over the world for their tolerance and the respect they show to all religions. No body should do any thing to damage this image, she asserted.

Regarding the incident, Ms. Bharti said that "necessary action would be taken after going through the report to be presented by the two State Cabinet Ministers, Kailash Chawla and Kailash Vijayvargiya, who had gone there to take stock of the situation immediately after violence had rocked Amkhut village and the neighbouring Alirajpur town.

The Chief Minister said that she was not going to act under any pressure nor would she condone any act of violence by any body merely for the sake of building the Government's image.

Under no circumstances, was she going to discriminate between those belonging to the majority or the minority community, she asserted.

The Chief Minister said that Arjun Pal's memory would be kept alive by ensuring that Jhabua always continues to remain a peaceful district.

The delegation has demanded a CBI probe into the latest violent incident, as well as firm action against religious conversion and a detailed investigation into the role of foreign money and the working of the missionary institutions.

Later talking to newsmen, Ms. Bharti said that the problem of religious conversion in Jhabua district appears to have acquired a grim and serious dimension. She also questioned the Opposition leader in the State Assembly, Jamuna Devi on her statement yesterday that "even they could retaliate'' and said that the Congress leader would have to clarify whether she was siding with the tribal villager Arjun Pal, who had died in the Jhabua incident or was on the other side.

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

Other States

News Update

Stories in this Section

Cong. politicising Jhabua incident: Bharti

`Divine flame' installed at Bhojshala