Inderjit Gupta finds no cause for President's rule in Maharashtra

Union Home Minister Inderjit Gupta on Wednesday ruled out invoking Article 356 to dismiss the Maharashtra government and imposing President's rule.

On Tuesday, Congress leader in Lok Sabha Sharad Pawar had demanded this, claiming the law and order situation in the state was beyond repair.

Responding to questions about what the government is doing about the recent police firing on dalits in Bombay, the home minister assured that all responsible for the 'unprovoked firing' would be punished.

Gupta condemned the Shiv Sainik attack on Maharashtra Opposition leader Chhagan Bhujbal's residence. He asserted it was a planned attack and not a spontaneous reaction, as given out by Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray.

About 48 arrests have been made so far in this case. Gupta regretted that none of the culprits have been booked under section 307 (for attempt to murder), but assured they would be prosecuted. He said he has written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Manohar Joshi to add section 307 to the FIRs.

On several occasions, he referred to Thackeray as an 'extra constitutional' power. However, he said that Thackeray regretted the attack on Bhujbal's residence and had assured him (Gupta) there would be no recurrence.

The home minister said he was happy the state government had acceded to the demand for a judicial committee, and that it should file its report before a certain deadline.

He described the desecration incident as 'painful and shameful.' He admitted his inability to check such indiscriminate incidents as there were thousands of Ambedkar statutes in Maharashtra. Gupta suggested that local committees be formed to 'go deeper into the question' and suggest remedies.

Though asserting he did not want to pre-empt the judicial commission's findings, Gupta referred to the July 11 mob as a 'simple crowd' assembled to protest peacefully. During his visit to Bombay, he said, he had spoken to many people. But nobody had said the people assembled there were violent.

He condemned the firing and said it was against the police manual: no blank shots were fired or water canons used to disperse the crowds. Also, most of the victims had received bullet injuries above the waist.

Former home minister S B Chavan, while condemning the attack on Bhujbal's house, wanted to know why the chappals were not immediately removed from Ambedkar's statue. If that had been done, perhaps the ugly situation could have been avoided, he said. He demanded exemplary punishment for the police personnel involved.

UNI