My comment was only about Gujarat riots: Gadkari

BJP president Nitin Gadkari has said it will not be entirely correct to say the 1984 anti-Sikh riots were initiated by the Congress government.

In an interview given to BBC's Urdu service and broadcast on Sunday, Mr. Gadkari said that the media had focussed intensely on the Gujarat riots of 2002 but let off the Congress governments lightly for other riots. He first said the Gujarat riots were a fact, but “the basic thing is nobody can manipulate such incidents. These were unfortunate reactions by the people at large.”

Asked if this applied to the situation in 1984 also and whether there was no manipulation involved then, he said: “Look, some people may be involved in those riots but it would be entirely incorrect to say that the riots were initiated by the government.”

As news agencies put out reports based on the interview, Mr. Gadkari denied having said this. From Nagpur, he told PTI that his comment was about the Gujarat riots and the Gujarat government, not about 1984 and the Congress government.

Amit Baruah, head of the BBC Hindi service here, told The Hindu that it had received no denial or clarification on the interview. It had been 24 hours since it was on air, and the tape recording of the interview, in its possession, made it very clear that the question was about 1984 and Mr. Gadkari was certainly talking about the 1984 riots and the Congress government.

28 injured in Hyderabad violence

Row over putting up of flags continues to simmer with fresh incidents being reported

The violence that erupted at Moosabowli in the old city here following a dispute over putting up flags on Saturday night continued to simmer with fresh incidents being reported in several localities in the old city and its environs.

Twentyeight persons, including video and photo journalists, were injured after mobs attacked them. Police resorted to firing of rubber bullets at Moosabowli and Shamshergunj to control the rampaging mobs.

SIT probe

Police Commissioner A.K. Khan told reporters later that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) would investigate the incidents and 70 persons were already taken into custody. Mobs set afire a shop and two wheelers at Gowliguda Kaman. In all, five vehicles were damaged in the violence. A goshala was also torched at Shamshergunj. Panic griped the residents of old city following rumours of communal clashes spreading, through SMSes. As tension escalated, shopkeepers in commercial areas of Siddiamber Bazar, Begum Bazar, Gowliguda, Afzalgunj and M.J Market rolled down the shutters.

Trouble over flags

On Saturday night, communal tension flared up over erection of flags by a community and objections by another in Moosabowli. Soon, this led to arguments and stone pelting in Hussainialam and Mylardevpalli in Rajendernagar, Siddiamber Bazar and Afzalgunj.

Small gangs armed with sticks moved around menacingly in some lanes beating up whoever they came across. Equipment of a daily's photographer too was smashed in the melee. Few shops were also selectively targeted and burnt by mobs in Begum Bazar, eyewitnesses said.

The situation turned worse at Siddiambar Bazar main road in the afternoon when some persons hurled stones on a religious structure triggering tension in the adjoining areas like Gowliguda and Begum Bazar. A vain bid was made to torch a petrol pump but alert staff thwarted it at Afzalgunj. There were reports of some places of worship being targeted at Kandikalgate, Afzalgunj, Shamshergunj and Enginebowli.

CM reviews situation

Chief Minister K. Rosaiah asked the police officials to ensure that there were no further untoward incidents in the twin cities ahead of Hanuman Jayanthi scheduled in the next two days.

Soon after returning from his tour of Krishna district, Mr. Rosaiah held a high level meeting of senior police officials. The meeting attended by the Home Minister P.Sabitha Indra Reddy, DGP R. R. Girish Kumar, Police Commissioner A. K. Khan, IG (Intelligence) M. Mahender Reddy saw the Chief Minister making it clear that there should be no compromise in maintaining law and order situation in the old city.

Many missing in Nigeria

At least 150 bodies have been recovered from a well in the flash-point northern Nigerian city of Jos where Muslim-Christian communal violence in the last few days has left nearly 400 dead.

The bodies were recovered from wells by Muslim volunteers who searched among destroyed buildings in the surrounding villages.

The government has strengthened security to protect the survivors of the four-day religious violence that left not less than 400 dead. 18,000 residents were displaced, according to the Red Cross.