Dhar won’t pay fine, says HJM

The HJM spearheaded the campaign for opening the locks of Bhojshala round the year for Hindus, following which violence took place in Dhar district in February and later, the state government had imposed community fine for the damage caused to the private and public property.

On the issue of PIL filed against the decision to open the locks of Bhojshala in Jabalpur High Court by a group of Muslims from Dhar, Yadav said the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is fighting the case and that the HJM has also asked legal experts to explore the possibility of becoming a party in the case.

Yadav said efforts were being made to bring back the idol of Goddess Saraswati from a museum in London before the Basant Panchmi next year.

The HJM also highlighted the alleged atrocities of the Congress-supported leaders Pyarsingh Ninama and Dhanna Singh, near here in Mhow, and Meanwhile, the Congress has lashed out at BJP leader Uma Bharti accusing her of trying to spark sectoral violence with her opposition to the collective fine imposed in Rajgarh and Dhar districts.

‘‘Uma Bharti and BJP leaders are indirectly provoking upper classes to commit atrocities on Dalits simply to gain their votes in coming elections,’’ state Congress spokesperson Man Dahima said in a statement in Bhopal.

While seeking withdrawal of collective fine on those allegedly responsible for destruction of crops on Dalit lands in five villages of Rajgarh and for involvement in violence over Bhojshala issue in Dhar in February, Uma has not uttered a word of sympathy for Dalits, he said.

Dahima said collective fine had a salutary effect and stopped atrocities on Dalits in other villages in the state where grazing land had been allotted to poor landless Dalits and tribals. BJP should realise that the law on collective fine was enacted by its government led by Sunderlal Patwa in 1990, he added.