MP: Curfew in parts of Bhopal;Cong alleges aim was to help RSS

A curfew was imposed on Sunday inthree police station limits in Bhopal and prohibitory orderswere issued in some other areas in view of a construction workby a community trust in old city area, the measures which theCongess alleged were aimed at helping an organisation linkedto the RSS to erect a boundary wall.

Justifying the curfew and prohibition orders, thestate BJP said the High Court had decided the land ownershipin favour of a trust associated with the Rashtriya SwayamsewakSangh (RSS).

The order, issued by Bhopal District MagistrateAvinash Lavania, said a community is carrying out constructionin the old city and there is a possibility of opposition bylocals.

The Madhya Pradesh capital is ''sensitive from communalpoint of view'', hence the decision to impose curfew has beentaken, the order said.

The curfew has been clamped in Hanumanganj, TilaJamalpura and Gautam Nagar police station areas of the OldCity till further orders, Additional Collector Dilip Yadavsaid.

Besides, prohibitory orders under Criminal ProcedureCode (CrPC) Section 144 have been imposed in 11 other policestation areas-Shahjahanabad, Chhola Mandir, Nishatpura,Talaiya, Mangalwara, Ashoka Garden, Aishbagh, Jahangirabad,Station Bajaria, Berasia and Najirabad.

The curfew and the prohibitory orders, which came intoforce early morning, will continue till further orders.

Yadav said the construction of the boundary wall onthe land in question continued till 7 pm andprohibitoryorders remains in force.

''Atmosphere of peace prevailed in the city,'' he toldreporters. Deputy Inspector General, Bhopal, Irshad Wali saidthat police have barricaded these areas and security personnelhave been deployed there.

He said a court had issued order in favour of a trustin this two-decade-old dispute.

Meanwhile, a state Congress' media coordinatorNarendra Saluja said there was no need to impose curfew forthe construction of a boundary wall.

''A curfew has been imposed in three police stationareas in the state capital to erect a boundary wall. What wasthe need to impose a curfew on such a small issue? This showsthe failure of the government on the law and order front,'' hesaid.

He claimed the curfew was clamped for the constructionof a boundary wall on 30,000 sq ft of land owned by anRSS-linked organisation.

Madhya Pradesh BJP Secretary Rajneesh Agarwal said,''Should the administration have to ask the Congress for takingsteps to maintain law and order or rely on an intelligencereport? The administration has the right to maintain law andorder and peace.

''The state government's aim is to maintain peace andgoodwill in the state. I think the Congress should not commentunnecessarily in all these matters,'' he said.

Agrawal said the district administration onlyimplemented the High Court's order.

He said the HC had decided the land ownership infavour of a trust associated with the RSS.

There is also an office of Sangh nearby.

On the other hand, Abdul Nafees, former secretary ofMadhya Pradesh Congress, claimed that the land belongs to aKabristan (cemetery) but the Waqf Board failed to present thepapers in the court in this regard.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)