Gehlot dares Shah to probe, says Karauli was experiment, similar riots since

“You saw that on Ram Navami we didn’t let riots take place in Rajasthan and people from all religions showered flowers on Ram Navami tableaux. Riots took place in seven states, and then bulldozers were run. In every place, the same method was used as Karauli to spark the riots, and this should be investigated. If Amit Shah ji has the courage, then he should form a committee of the Home Ministry, be it (of) a High Court judge, a Supreme Court judge… What was the root, what was the intention, the planning?” Gehlot told reporters in Udaipur, calling the Karauli violence “a laboratory experiment”.

A Chintan Shivir of the Congress is scheduled to take place in Udaipur from May 13 to 15, and Gehlot has been overseeing the preparations.

Asked about the series of communal incidents in Rajasthan, Gehlot said that under no circumstances would riots be allowed in the state and accused the BJP of trying to spark communal fires knowing it will lose the 2023 Assembly elections. “You can see they are trying to create an agenda, staging dharnas. It was their plan to spark riots in Karauli… after Karauli, in Jodhpur. We took timely action and there were small incidents of arson and we arrested everyone. Some people are absconding, we will not spare them either,” he said.

In Karauli, violence had broken out as a rally to mark the Hindu New Year was passing through a Muslim area. More than 30 people were injured. The BJP has been alleging that the violence was instigated by the Muslim side.

Rajasthan DGP M L Lather said apart from peace committee meetings in Jodhpur, 22 FIRs have been registered and 211 people arrested.

In Bhilwara, Internet services were suspended after two people belonging to the Muslim community were allegedly beaten up by masked men in Sanganer area. “As per their complaint, the reason for the attack was communal. We are yet to verify this since the accused were masked and are yet to be identified. In order to maintain peace, Internet services were suspended today morning,” Bhilwara Additional SP Jyeshtha Maitrei said, adding that they are trying to trace the accused with the help of CCTV and call records.

No untoward incident has taken place since the Internet suspension, she said.