It was State-complicit violence on Ram Navami: Owaisi

Hyderabad MP criticises States for failing to contain communal violence

Hyderabad parliamentarian Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday said that the violence witnessed in some States on Ram Navami was “State-complicit violence” and described the demolition of houses of a community in Madhya Pradesh as grave violation of the Geneva Conventions.

Mr Owaisi was speaking to the media at the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) headquarters in Darussalaam, where he stated that the areas through which the procession passed saw violence and respective State governments had failed to contain it.

“What happened in Karauli in Rajasthan, in Madhya Pradesh, Gujurat — Anand, Himmat Nagar, Khambat — what happened in Karnataka and Goa; whatever has happened is because of the compliance of the State governments there. State government-complicit violence is happening,” Mr Owaisi said.

The AIMIM president criticised the government of Madhya Pradesh for demolishing houses belonging to people from the Muslim community.

“Stone pelting happened, and then you demolish houses. On what basis have you done this? This is a violation of the Geneva Conventions. If they have done it (stone pelting), you should apprehend them. On what grounds have you demolished houses? And why only houses of one community?” Mr Owaisi said, even as he pointed out that if houses were illegally constructed, notices should have been sent and that there is a provision for legalising such structures. “Are only those houses illegal? Are other houses not illegal? You have demolished houses of only one community in Madhya Pradesh.”

Mr Owaisi alleged that the Sangh Parivar was indulging in and perfecting “low-intensity violence”, even as he said that houses in Rajasthan were “targetted and burned”.

Commenting on the meat shops being closed down on Hindu festivals, and the violence in Jawaharlal Nehru University, Mr Owaisi said that the country should be run by the Constitution and not aashtha (belief) . “In that case, ban all the meat that is exported. You won’t ban this, because you get dollars. But in the case of a poor man who gets ₹100 or ₹ 200 a day, you will stop his business. Will the country function on aastha or Constitution? What of my aastha then? It is Ramzan, then why are liquor shops open? Your aastha is most important, and others’ be damned?” he said.