Operation Bluestar, a tragedy: Rahul Gandhi

AMRITSAR: Rajiv Gandhi had tried to rationalise the violence that claimed the lives of 300 Sikhs

A quarter century after his father Rajiv Gandhi justified the anti-Sikh riots in Delhi, Rahul Gandhi said the violence against the community in the aftermath of his grandmother's assassination was 'wrong'.

"The 1984 riots against the Sikhs were wrong and people responsible for this should be brought to justice," Gandhi told media persons in the Sikh holy city yesterday.

The Gandhi family and the Congress party have been blamed by the Sikhs for the army's operation in the Golden Temple against Sikh militants and the anti-Sikh riots following the assassinations of then PM Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh bodyguards.

Gandhi called Operation Bluestar, the name of the army operation, as a "tragedy for Punjab".

"I have seen with my own eyes how everyone left my grandmother after she lost the elections in 1977. Only her Sikh friends stayed with her," Gandhi said, trying to strike an emotional chord with the Sikh community.

Gandhi had toured Punjab for three days in September this year to revive the Youth Congress in the state. He started his tour with an unannounced visit to the Harmandar Sahib, better known as the Golden Temple in the early morning hours, catching everyone by surprise.

After his mother's assassination on October 31, 1984, Rajiv Gandhi, who became prime minister, sought to rationalise the violence that led to the death of over 3000 Sikhs, by saying "when a big tree falls, the earth shakes".

Soruce: www.mid-day.com

Orissa burning

By: AgenciesDate: 2008-10-10 Bhubhaneshwar and New Delhi: Unable to create trouble in Orissa's riot-hit Kandhamal district for about a week due to tight security, rioters sneaked into neighbouring Boudh district and set afire eight houses, yesterday.

"A group of miscreants from Gochhapada area in Kandhamal entered adjoining Kantamal police station area of Boudh late last night and torched the houses at Lamsaripali village," said Deputy Inspector General of Police R P Koche.

Some of the arsonists, including their leaders were arrested as police reached the area and swung into action after getting information about the incident, he said.

Ethnic problems
No one was injured in the attack and the damaged houses belonged to Pana dalits, giving an indication that the incident involved ethnic problems and not communal conflict, said Deputy Superintendent of Police K P Mund.

Police movement to the area was affected as the attackers had blocked roads by felling trees, he said adding that the village was also located atop a hill. "Additional security personnel, including one company of CRPF jawans and three platoons of Orissa State Armed Police, have been deployed in the area to prevent any major flare up," said Mund. Flag march was held by the security personnel in a bid to instill confidence among local residents.

'Dare ban the Bajrang Dal'
The Bajrang Dal that has been accused of masterminding the anti-Christian violence in several Indian states, has dared the government to ban it, warning that the authorities would face the 'consequences' if it was outlawed.

"We will fight the ban and we will go to the people to explain the injustice done to us.

"The elections are coming up soon and a ban will prove costly for the government," said Prakash Sharma, national convenor of the Bajrang Dal.
Source: www.mid-day.com