(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Oommen Chandy says it was part of a package to restore peace googletag.
KERALA CHIEF Minister Oommen Chandy has owned responsibility over the withdrawal of the hate speech case against Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Praveen Togadia amidst mounting protests against the action.
Talking to reporters at Cochin on Saturday he said that he had decided to withdraw the case as it was part of a package to restore peace at the carnage-hit Marad in the state’s northern district of Calicut. Nine people had lost their lives in the communal riots on May 2 2003.
The Chief Minister said the decision to withdraw the case was taken in consultation with home and law departments. The peace agreement signed between the concerned parties after the riots provided for withdrawal of all cases not serious in nature.
He said that the cases withdrawn already included those related to destruction of public properties injuries to the police and violations of rules regarding conduct of public speeches.
Stating that there were no needs to make the government decision to withdraw the case against Togadia controversial Chandy said that the government had decided to inform the court that the government had no objection in withdrawing the case.
However the opposition parties have contested the chief minister’s claim saying that the case against Togadia could not be considered part of the Marad peace package as he had delivered the controversial speech more than two months after the communal riot.
They pointed out that the then Calicut city Commissioner Sparjan Kumar had raised strong objection to the government decision. Togadia was named an accused along with Kummanam Rajashekaran convenor of the state Hindu Aikya Vedi and 5 others for making the inflammatory speech and violating an order not to use a public address system at the public meeting on July 8 2003.
The decision has drawn flak from not only the opposition but also a section of the ruling Congress-led United Democratic Front. The opposition leaders viewed the decision as a total surrender of the government before the communal forces.
The Calicut district Congress committee Youth Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) have termed the decision as a scar on the secular traditions of Kerala and urged the government to review the decision.
newskhaleejtimes.com
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