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Violence issue rocks Rajasthan Assembly

Special Correspondent

JAIPUR: Even as the Rajasthan Assembly was rocked on Wednesday by the issue of recent communal violence in Begun town with the Opposition Congress blaming the State Government, Muslim groups accused the State police of conniving with rioters to terrorise the minority community and break its morale.

Prohibitory orders have been in force in Begun town of Chittaurgarh district since March 17, when violence broke out following the passage of a "Rangteras'' (colour splashing) procession through a Muslim-dominated locality. The processionists allegedly raised inflammatory slogans and torched 26 shops and kiosks belonging to Muslims.

The Rajasthan Muslim Forum, a team of which returned here on Wednesday after probing into the incidents of violence in Begun, charged the State police with abetting the rioters who indulged in arson and looted the shops on March 17 and 18 with impunity. Police did not take any action to stop violence and allowed the rioters to roam freely and threaten Muslims.

Jamat-e-Islami Hind State president Mohammed Salim, who led the team to Begun, said the attacks on shops were meticulously planned and carried out with the help of police after the processionists gathered in a public park and gave a call to destroy economic foundation of local Muslims. Police confined Muslims to their homes by making a false announcement of curfew having been clamped and gave full freedom to rioters.

The Muslim Forum pointed out that the complicity of police in the communal violence was proved by the fact that they arrested all Muslims who wanted to lodge complaints against rioters. It said police were completely under the influence of local Bajrang Dal leaders, who were in high spirits with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party backing them.

Mr. Salim said the pattern of communal violence in various towns in the State since the BJP came to power in 2003 indicated that a conspiracy was being hatched by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and its affiliates to vitiate the atmosphere before the Assembly elections next year. "The BJP wants to contest next elections on the Gujarat pattern by polarising the society on communal lines,'' he said. The issue in the Assembly was raised by Congress MLA Sanyam Lodha through an adjournment motion. His remarks that the incidents of communal violence had increased during the BJP rule and the State Govt. had withdrawn cases against Bajrang Dal activists led to an uproar in House with the treasury members accusing Congress of appeasing Muslims and indulging in vote bank politics. Social Welfare Minister Madan Dilawar said blaming the BJP-led Govt. for violence amounted to an insult to Hindus who had a right to take procession to any locality as "this country belongs to them''.

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Violence issue rocks Rajasthan Assembly

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