NEW DELHI, April 13: A group of BJP workers led by the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha national president and MP from Bengaluru South Tejasvi Surya, and the Rajasthan BJP chief Satish Poonia was stopped when they tried to enter the violence-rocked Karauli town in Rajasthan on Wednesday.
The party workers on their way to meet the victims of the communal violence on April 2 were stopped by the police at the Dausa-Karauli border. Surya, Poonia and other party workers were detained as the BJP leaders kept demanding that they be allowed to visit Karauli and were later taken into a bus and dispersed at a distance.
Police said the action was taken under Section 129 (dispersal of assembly by use of civil force) of the Criminal Procedure Code. Surya had arrived in Jaipur early on Wednesday morning and met a youth, Amit, who was injured in the violence and is recovering at the Sawai Man Singh Government Hospital in Jaipur.
Surya said prohibitory orders were not in place at the location where he and other BJP leaders were detained. “It is our constitutional right to go to Karauli… This dictatorial government is snatching our rights,” he told reporters before being whisked away by the policemen.
The Jaipur district administration, however, had on Saturday imposed Section 144 CrPC till May 9 and suspended the gathering of crowds, protests, assemblies and processions without prior permission in the entire rural and urban area. It has also prohibited any objectionable sloganeering and singing or demonstration of similar activities.
Barricades have been erected to prevent the group from entering. Surya has accused the Congress-led state government of barring the BJP from visiting the riot-hit area and said he would not stop until he reaches there. Supporters could be seen trying to cross the barricade and raising slogans against the Rajasthan government.
Karauli, about 170 kilometres from Jaipur, saw clashes between two communities on April 2. A curfew was imposed for over a week, till April 12, considering the law and order situation. The curfew was imposed after incidents of arson and vandalism on Saturday in the wake of stone-pelting at a bike rally on Nav Samvatsar (Hindu New Year), which was passing through a Muslim-dominated area.
The police said when the procession was passing through a sensitive area, those in the rally raised “provocative” slogans, which fuelled a mob attack with stones leaving 11 injured, including 8 policemen. Shops and residences were burnt and the city was under curfew for over a week. Police arrested 46 people and took seven others in custody for interrogation after the communal violence, according to the Inspector General of Police of Bharatpur range Prashant Kumar Khamesra.
In an apparent reference to Surya’s detention, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said strict action would be taken against any person who tried to disturb law and order in the State. “The BJP leaders are constantly trying to create a communal atmosphere in Rajasthan. They are going to Karauli and issuing misleading statements… They submitted a memorandum to the Governor to ensure that the tension remains [the same],” he tweeted.
Gehlot said the riots broke out on Ram Navami last week in the States ruled by the BJP, but all communities celebrated the festival together in Rajasthan and the religious processions were welcomed by all people. “The BJP is troubled by people’s unity here. They are regretting how the Ram Navami was celebrated peacefully in the State.” he added.
(Manas Dasgupta)