Sena takes Mumbai violence to Lok Sabha Asks why 50,000 people were allowed at venue when permission was given only for 5,000; terms incident intelligence failure

Sena takes Mumbai violence to Lok Sabha

Asks why 50,000 people were allowed at venue when permission was given only for 5,000; terms incident intelligence failure

Saturday’s Mumbai riot echoed in the Lok Sabha on Monday. The Shiv Sena was in full fury in the house about the protest meeting, organised by Raza Academy and Awami Vikas Party, that turned violent. Intervening in the Zero Hour at 12 — earlier the Question Hour could not take place because of protests from the BJP over the issue of black money — Sena’s senior member Anant Geethe lashed out at the Congress-NCP government in Maharshtra. He wanted to know why 50,000 people were allowed to gather when permission was given only for 5,000. “These were people of suspect organisations and with terror links and they were protesting against the communal clashes in Kokrajhar,” Geethe said. “And they were allowed to gather in such large numbers. “Mr chairman sir, I want to know through you what the Intelligence Bureau was doing? Did they not know? Such a large number of people gathered there and spread terror in the name of religion and faith, cars were burnt, police vans were set ablaze, media vehicles were set on fire. And in spite of the unleashing of so much terror, the government remains silent. Women police personnel were molested. What is the Maharashtra government doing?” He wanted to know why the Intelligence Bureau had failed. “Why was it not known that there will be trouble at such a gathering?” he asked. Geethe’s Sena colleague Chandrakant Khere walked into the well of the house holding the front page of a Marathi paper showing the picture of burning vehicles. Though it was Khere who gave the notice to speak in zero hour, he let his senior colleague Geethe do the talking. In the violence that ensued, two people were killed, 45 policemen were injured, journalists were attacked and vehicles of TV channels set on fire. Two Muslim groups had called the meeting to denounce the clashes between Bodos and Muslims in Kokrajhar, Assam, that have left more than 70 people dead. Geethe’s speech infuriated the Congress benches and Sanjay Nirupam from Mumbai and others tried to shout down the Sena member. When Khere walked again to the well of the house, senior BJP leader Ananth Kumar signalled his party members to join him. The treasury front bench was empty except for defence minister AK Antony. Congress president Sonia Gandhi was away in Assam visiting Kokrajhar. Home minister and leader of the house Sushil Kumar Shinde, too, was in Assam with Gandhi. Commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma was in the second row. Since there were no senior Congress leaders present in the house, backbenchers like Sanjay Nirupam and Annu Tandon had to stand up and speak against Geethe’s stinging speech. Left with no option, the speaker adjourned the house for the day.