By M Reyaz, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: “The Muzaffarnagar riots have made it imperative on the Central Government to bring an ordinance on the Prevention of Communal Violence, and then see to its timely passage in the Parliament,” said Swami Agnivesh, while speaking on a seminar organised by the Urdu Press Club International at Delhi’s Mavlankar Auditorium on Thursday evening on “Communal Violence Control Bill.”
He said that he sees no particular reason why the bill is stuck in the logjam, besides being introduced in the Parliament way back in 2005.
Swami Agnivesh
other speakers in the programme included Justice MSA Siddiqui, chairman, National Commission for Minority Education, Chairman of All-India Muslim Backward Classes Federation (AIMBCF) Ibrahim Qureshi, former Chairman of the National Minority Commission Tarlochan Singh, former Additional Director General of Police of Uttar Pradesh Vibhuti Narain Rai and former Samjwadi party leader Kamal Farooqui.
Coming out in open support of Azam Khan, who did not attend the SP annual meeting in Agra, Farooqui said that is sad that he is being ridiculed for expressing his displeasure on behalf of the community. Taking a dig at the UPA government, he said that when the government wanted they could pass 18 bills (in Rajya Sabha and 13 in Lok Sabha) in the monsoon session, but no one is even talking about the communal violence bill.
He highlighted the fact that the Congress had promised a speical bill for prevention of communal violence in the 2004 general elections, after the gruesome 2002 Gujarat pogrom and that the government has not yet fulfilled its promises. He said the bill was prepared by the Sonia Gandhi led National Advisory Council (NAC), and still the government has not bothered to move it forward.
Former Additional Director General of Police of Uttar Pradesh Vibhuti Narain Rai condemned the Muzaffarnagar riots, adding that any riot can be controlled within 24 hours if the government and administration is willing to check the rioters.
IPS VN Rai, who was SSP of Meerut during the infamous Hashimpura riot and later also served as IG of Meerut division said, “If any riot is not quelled within 24 hours, then either the government is inapt or complicit,” for some political agenda.
VN Rai, who has authored five novels in Hindi and is currently serving as the Vice Chancellor of the Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya at Vardha too pressed for a comprehensive anti-communal violence bill, adding that although the present laws are also sufficient and if implemented with good intent, all sorts of violence could be curtailed, however, what the present system lacks is the accountability of the police and local administration and compensation package.
He said that if local administration and police are made accountable vis a vis incidents of riots, cases of riots would be reduced considerably, adding that the compensation and rehabilitation of the riot victims should be the responsibility of the State.
MSA Siddiqui added that the Communal violence bill has the required checks and balances to book erring officials for abdication of duties. Shunning the politics over the communal violence bill by BJP, Ibrahim Qureshi of AIMBCF said that those who are opposing the bill have vested interests, adding that a similar act for the protection of SC/STs , the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act is already there and that the proposed bill was on the same pattern.
Tarlochan Singh, former Chairman of the NCM and Rajya Sabha member, also urged the community to develop from amongst themselves leaders who could take them forward and not rely entirely on government.
During the programme Tariq Faizi, general secretary of the Urdu Press Club International also shared his experiences of organizing a programme on the Communal Violence bill and how he faced with hurdles in terms of finance or refusal by auditorium management for a programme like this.
Related:
If riot is not controlled within 24 hours, either govt is anapt or complicit: Retd AIG of UP