The Hindu : National : Srikrishna report: Sena sounds a warning

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Thursday, Aug 09, 2007
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Srikrishna report: Sena sounds a warning

Arunkumar Bhatt

MUMBAI: The Shiv Sena has warned it would counter with full force the demand for prosecution of all indicted by the Srikrishna Commission for the Mumbai riots — including its supremo Bal Thackeray.

Party spokesman and editor of its mouthpiece, Saamna, Sanjay Raut told The Hindu: “If 20 Muslim organisations come together to force the Government and if the latter succumbs because of the vote-bank politic s, organisations of the Hindus would unite under the flag of the Shiv Sena.”

Asked to elaborate on his statement that the Shiv Sena knew how to tackle the situation, Mr. Raut said, “We have also passed through many a legal process and can fight it out.”

He warned that any attempt to file cases on the basis of the report, once rejected by the State Government, would have repercussions throughout Maharashtra.The Sena-BJP Government had discarded the report calling it “pro-Muslim.” The spokesman said the Congress was preparing to target the Sena to attract Muslim votes. Mr. Raut said the Muslim organisations were being instigated to agitate for the implementation of the Srikrishna Commission’s report. “Maharashtra did not have a single communal riot in the past nine years but some forces are working to create communal tension,” he said.

Mr. Justice B.N. Srikrishna had probed the communal riots in Mumbai after the demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992. The Commission found that the Sena had encouraged the Hindu rioters and recommended prosecution of its leaders.

New Delhi Special Correspondent reports:

“Maharashtra should decide”

The Congress on Wednesday put the ball in the court of the Maharashtra Government on the status of the implementation of the Justice Srikrishna Commission of Inquiry report on the 1993 Mumbai riots.

Asked for the party stand in the wake of demands from a section that the Government should implement the same, Congress spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan said it was “best answered by the Chief Minister and Maharashtra Government.”

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