MP violence: Cong's Digvijaya demands inquiry, compensation

Congress Rajya Sabha MP DigvijayaSingh on Friday said Muslim localities in Madhya Pradesh werebeing targeted during fund-raising rallies for construction ofthe Ram Temple in Ayodhya and sought an inquiry by a retiredchief secretary or director general of police into theviolence.There have been reports of stone-pelting and arsonfrom some places after rallies in Ujjain, Mandsaur and Indorein the last week of December.I am saddened today at the manner in which violentincidents are taking place.

Congress Rajya Sabha MP DigvijayaSingh on Friday said Muslim localities in Madhya Pradesh werebeing targeted during fund-raising rallies for construction ofthe Ram Temple in Ayodhya and sought an inquiry by a retiredchief secretary or director general of police into theviolence.

There have been reports of stone-pelting and arsonfrom some places after rallies in Ujjain, Mandsaur and Indorein the last week of December.

''I am saddened today at the manner in which (violent)incidents are taking place. During fund-raising, weapons,lathis (sticks) and swords are on display, inflammatoryslogans are being shouted, particularly targeting Muslimlocalities,'' Singh told reporters.

His statement came after he and Congress MLA ArifMasood met Chief Secretary Iqbal Singh Bains and DirectorGeneral of Police VK Johri on this issue.

''Hindus and Muslims unitedly fought for our country'sIndependence. Those who did not even participate in thefreedom struggle are out to vitiate the atmosphere of thecountry,'' Singh added.

''Incidents of Ujjain, Mandsaur and Indore should beinvestigated thoroughly. The collectors and SPs should be heldresponsible and must be removed. Why have they givenpermission for the rallies? It is strange that police casesare being registered against people whose houses were torched,tractors and vehicles damaged, and who sustained bulletwounds,'' he alleged.

Singh said an inquiry into the violence should becarried out by a ''retired CS or DG with an unblemished trackrecord'' and those who have sustained losses must becompensated.

He added that IAS officials, police and other segmentsof the bureaucracy must work to uphold the Constitution andnot act as ''slaves of the BJP or Congress''.

Singh went on to add that he was a devout Hindu and ''abetter Hindu than senior BJP leaders'' and the religion taughtpeace and respect for all.

Hitting back, MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan,in a video clip, said action would be taken against goons andthe mafia, and that nobody, ''not even Digvijaya'', would beable to save those who indulged in stone-pelting, violence.

Incidentally, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) MalwaPranth secretary Sohan Vishwakarma had told PTI that theirfund-raising rallies were pelted with stones and had deniedthat Muslim places of worship was defiled in Indore andMandsaur during the December 29 during rallies.