clashes on Ram Navami: Actions taken by Rajasthan, MP, Gujarat govts in incidents of violence inappropriate: Mayawati

The actions taken by the governments of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat following the recent incidents of violence, which disturbed peace and amity in these states, were “inappropriate”, BSP chief Mayawati said on Wednesday. Violence broke out in Rajasthan’s Karauli after stones were pelted at a bike rally on Hindu New Year on April 2, leaving 35 people injured. In Gujarat’s Himmatnagar and Madhya Pradesh’s Khargone curfew was imposed following stone-pelting and clashes on Ram Navami on April 10.

“The way these incidents of violence took place, disturbing peace and harmony in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, the actions initiated by (the state) governments prima facie seem to be revengeful. This is an inappropriate step. Will such examples lead to a ‘New India’?” Mayawati said in a tweet in Hindi.

Hitting out at the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government, she said, “Police and the government are working by ignoring the judiciary in the name of crime control and law and order.”

This not only malicious but also a mockery of rule of law. For rule of law, punishment should be according to legal process and it should be ensured that it is not an arbitrary one, the BSP chief tweeted.