No action against VHP men yet

The VHP activists were angry at the demolition of an extension of the Ramdeo Pir temple in Maninagar which, according to AMC, was unauthorised construction. They forced their way into the Mayor8217;s chamber and held her hostage for 20 minutes, demanding an immediate reply on whether the AMC would rebuild the demolished portion.

Some BJP corporators tried to pacify them, but to no effect. The police also arrived, but remained a mute spectator. The VHP men relented only when a helpless Mayor told them that she would have to discuss the matter with others and required time till Monday.

Police Commissioner P C Pande said the authorities would have to file a complaint for the police to act. quot;Till then there is precious little we can do,quot; he said. Minister of State for Home Haren Pandya said: quot;We will definitely take action against the guilty if a complaint it filed.quot; Pandya said the VHP activists should not have taken the law in their hands. quot;There are peaceful ways of making representations,quot; he said.

But the Mayor was not interested in filing any complaint, even while she said the incident was quot;in bad tastequot;. Her priority was to 8220;solve the issue rather than filing a complaint. I did not file a complaint even when Congress workers damaged my car at the VS Hospital,8221; she said, adding that the VHP men gave vent to 8220;their feelings8221;.

Standing Committee Chairman Dharmendra Shah said since the corporation8217;s property was damaged, 8220;only the Municipal Commissioner can file a complaint.8221; Caught in a precarious situation, Municipal Commissioner K Kailashnathan, explained, 8220;We were busy with the general board till midnight. Since then the offices have been closed.8221;

All day, BJP leaders remained busy trying to sort out the matter with the influence of the local RSS office. But, interestingly, when asked about the confrontation between the two organisations of the Sangh Parivar, RSS prant prachar pramukh Mukundrao Deobhankar pleaded ignorance, 8220;I have not gone into the depth of the issue and, hence, would not like to comment8221;. Other senior RSS leaders were not available for comment.

Mum is the word

Malini Atit, Mayor: 8220;The incident was in bad taste. But they will regret it later. Being the Mayor, I have to be sensitive to everyone8217;s feelings and hence did not file an FIR.8221;

Surendra Patel, BJP Steering Committee Chairman: 8220;It was like the morning horoscope which said that you will have trouble from your near and dear ones.8221;

Haren Pandya, Minister of State for Home: 8220;We will take action against the guilty if an FIR is filed.8221;

K Kailashnathan, Municipal Commissioner,: 8220;Today the offices were closed. Hence, we could not file a complaint.8221;

Dharmendra Shah, Standing Committee Chairman: 8220;Now the issue is beyond us. It is up to the senior Sangh Parivar and party leaders to do something.8221;