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Friday, Dec 07, 2007
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Masjid issue rocks Parliament

New Delhi Bureau

Five injured as two groups of demonstrators clash at Jantar Mantar

— Photo: S. Subramanium

Raising tension: Members of the All-India Babri Masjid Re-building Committee and the Shiv Sena clash at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Thursday.

NEW DELHI: Proceedings in both Houses of Parliament were disrupted before lunch on Thursday over the demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya this day 15 years ago.

While the Rajya Sabha resumed work post-lunch, the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day after wrapping up legislative business slated for the day through the din.

Barring the tabling of papers, no business could be transacted in either House pre-lunch.

SP, RJD raise issue

In the Lok Sabha, the Left parties, the Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Janata Dal raised the issue and protested against the delay in inquiry.

As the Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena members rose to counter, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee adjourned proceedings for an hour.

However, an hour later, both sides kept up their chorus – with the Samajwadi Party members entering the well in the Lok Sabha.

Through the din, the papers listed for the day were tabled before the proceedings were adjourned till post-lunch.

In Rajya Sabha

The Rajya Sabha witnessed similar scenes and was adjourned twice; the second time till after lunch. The BJP and Samajwadi Party members raised slogans and BJP leader Yashwant Sinha was seen waving some papers.

When the Lok Sabha met in the afternoon, the stalemate continued.

However, Deputy Speaker Charajit Singh Atwal went ahead with the legislative business; getting the Armed Forces Tribunal Bill, 2007, passed through the din.

Two Bills introduced

Also, Union Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad introduced two Bills in the Lok Sabha at the last minute.

While the Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill, 2007, seeks to provide for alternative mechanisms for disposal of land compensation disputes in a time-bound manner, the second Bill is aimed at providing teeth to the National Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy, 2007.

Reconstruction demand

Five persons were injured in a clash between Shiv Sena activists and members of the All-India Babri Masjid Re-Building Committee (AIBMRC) and All-India Muslim Unity Front (AIMUF) at Jantar Mantar here. It all happened around noon when members of the AIBMRC and AIMUF were holding a demonstration, demanding reconstruction of the Babri Masjid at the original site.

Led by AIBMRC president Mohammed Younus Siddiqui, the demonstrators demanded that those responsible for the demolition be punished.

The same time Shiv Sena activists were taking out a march to celebrate the day as “Vijay Diwas.” According to the police, violence broke out when a person hurled a stone at the AIBMRC members.

A war of words erupted, resulting in a clash. The two sides pelted stones at each other and some Shiv Sena activists attacked AIBMRC and AIMUF members with bamboo sticks.

A couple of Shiv Sena activists sustained injuries on the face and head. The windowpanes of a bus were also smashed. The police resorted to a mild lathi-charge to disperse the crowd.

The police dismissed the incident as a minor scuffle. A few people were detained and let off later.

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