Congress leaders meet CM

AHMEDABAD, July 22: A high-level delegation of Congress leaders met Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel on Wednesday night seeking suitable ac...

AHMEDABAD, July 22: A high-level delegation of Congress leaders met Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel on Wednesday night seeking suitable action against those responsible for spreading communal violence in Idar and Ahmedabad.

The meeting which went on for over one hour witnessed fervent pleas for early restoration of peace in trouble-torn areas. GPCC president C D Patel, who led the delegation, told the Chief Minister to control some ruling party leaders who were in league with VHP-Bajrang Dal activists and openly fomenting trouble. Patel demanded criminal action against former minister Kantibhai Kachoria in this connection.

The delegation pointed out that action in Idar was discriminatory in that while as many as 47 members of the minority community were charged with offences under Section 307 of Indian Penal Code following riots in Idar on July 14, no one from the other side was reported even injured.

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The Congress said that the compensation for the loss was too meagre compared to the damage caused to property. To this, the Chief Minister said he would order a reassessment of damage pending which they should accept the present relief.

C D Patel told the chief minister that his own partymen were making objectionable statements which could arouse trouble and that this should be controlled forthwith. Keshubhai said he would ask for the Intelligence reports of such functions to ascertain facts. The delegation comprised Amarsinh Chaudhary, Madhusudan Mistry, J V Momin, Irshad Mirza, Faruk Shaikh and Iqbal Shaikh.

Meanwhile, Movement for Secular Democracy has demanded a judicial inquiry into the July 20 communal flare-up in Ahmedabad. Its convener Prakash Shah said the communal violence in the city was “nothing but the reflection of anti-Pakistan sentiments turning into anti-Muslim hatred”.

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