The Hindu : Jhabua violence a conspiracy: Congress

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Thursday, Jan 22, 2004

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Jhabua violence a conspiracy: Congress

By Our Staff Correspondent

BHOPAL, JAN. 21. The Madhya Pradesh Women's Congress president, Shobha Ojha, today reacted strongly to the violence that had erupted at a village in Jhabua district last week-end resulting in one casualty. She said the violent turn of events at Amkhut village followed by ransacking of a church and torching of houses belonging to members of a particular community in neighbouring Alirajpur town was a serious matter.

Ms. Ojha was talking to The Hindu on returning from Jhabua, where she had gone along with the State Congress president, Jamuna Devi, and the Congress MP from Jhabua, Kantilal Bhuria, to take stock of the situation leading to the series of violent incidents that had rocked Amkhut village and Alirajpur last Friday.

Tracing the sequence of events leading to communal violence in Jhabua, Ms. Ojha said it would be wrong to describe the Jhabua incidents merely as a group clash or a law and order problem. The slogan-shouting in front of the Amkhut church by those supposed to be part of a religious group raises questions regarding the intentions of a section belonging to the majority community, she added.

Ms. Ojha alleged that the mob attack and torching of houses belonging to members of the minority community at Alirajpur immediately after the Amkhut incident should not be viewed as a spontaneous reaction but part of a deep-rooted conspiracy. Ms. Ojha also took strong exception to the "abusive'' slogans that had been raised by the delegation that had come here yesterday to meet the Chief Minister, Uma Bharti, at the Gufa Mandir premises.

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Jhabua violence a conspiracy: Congress