Why was Article 355 not invoked during Gujarat riots: Ex-Vice President Hamid Ansari
New Delhi, Oct 13: Referring to the 2002 Gujarat riots, former vice president Hamid Ansari Saturday asked why was Article 355 of the Constitution not invoked by the then Union government even when its defence minister was on the spot.
Ansari made the remarks during the launch of a book -- 'The Sarkari Mussalman' by Lt Gen. (retd) Zameer Uddin Shah, who had led the Army Division that quelled the Gujarat riots in the state.
The former vice president also said there were "no military solutions to insurgency" as normalcy can be restored only by winning the hearts and minds of people.
"'The initial reaction of the civil administration was tardy; curfew had been ordered but not enforced; no attempt were made to convene peace committees and attitude of police was partisan'," Ansari quoted some of the observations from Shah's book on the riots.
But, the former vice president observed, that the book was silent "about the role of the political leadership".
"If the civil and police administration fails to respond to a massive failure of law and order, where does the responsibility rests in a democratic and parliamentary system," he asked.
"Why was Article 355 of the Constitution that makes it a duty of the Union to protect a state against internal disturbance not invoked even when the Centre had the benefit of Raksha Mantri on the spot?" he asked.
Article 355 pertains to 'duty of the Union to protect states against external aggression and internal disturbance'.
The reportage of Gujarat happenings in the national and international media was extensive and even the NHRC took note of it, he said.
"In an interview to a Malayalam weekly in 2005, former president K R Narayanan had revealed his remonstrations with the government and observed, and I quote (Narayanan) -- 'Military was sent but not given the power to shoot. And, there was a conspiracy involving the central and the state government behind the Gujarat riots'," he said.
The book has kicked up a controversy, alleging that transport and other logistics support "arrived a day later" for the army troops that had landed in Ahmedabad after communal riots broke out in the state.
Lt Gen. Shah, at the function, said he had met then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and then defence minister George Fernandes at the CM's residence at 2 AM on March 1 and sought transport and logistics support.
"But, the transport rolled in only on March 2," he alleged, adding "hundreds of officers from my formation can speak on that, and there are war diaries of the battalion".
However, Jasim Mohammad, director of Forum for Muslim Studies and Analysis, Aligarh, has countered the claims made by Shah in his book about the role of the then Gujarat government.
"Shah's claims in the book about the then Gujarat government is wrong. He had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March 2016, where I was also present and Shah sahab had praised Modi for providing support to the Army in 2002 as the chief minister," Mohammad claimed, adding, "how can these both things be true at the same time".
On Friday, Mohammad had even written a letter to Ansari, urging him not to attend the book release function.
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Pak police registers case against unidentified gunmen for opening fire on LeT co-founder
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Lahore (PTI): Pakistan's Punjab Police on Friday registered a case against unidentified gunmen for opening fire on Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) co-founder Amir Hamza, who suffered bullet injuries in the attack in Lahore.
On Thursday, two unidentified gunmen riding on a bike opened fire on the vehicle of the private TV channel 24NewsHD TV, owned by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, on Peco Road in Lahore near the TV channel's office.
In the attack, Hamza suffered bullet injuries.
"The FIR has been registered against unidentified gunmen, but it is sealed forthwith," a senior police officer told PTI.
He said the intelligence agencies have taken over this case from the police, and they are currently investigating the matter.
The channel's religious programme host Justice (retd.) Nazir Ahmed Ghazi and Hamza were in the vehicle when it was attacked. Hamza was shifted to a hospital for treatment.
Punjab police on Friday said that "upon receiving information about the incident, the SSP Operations immediately reached the scene and a high alert was imposed in the area. SSP Operations Tauqeer Naeem also met the affected individuals. Thankfully, all present in the vehicle remained safe during the firing."
It further said senior police officers of the Township and Chung, along with a heavy police contingent, were present at the scene.
"Police collected evidence from the site and initiated an investigation. Efforts to arrest the suspects are underway using CCTV footage and geo-fencing techniques. Search and sweep operations are being conducted at various locations, with scrutiny of suspicious individuals ongoing," police said.
It added that those involved in the incident will be traced and arrested soon.
The police sources said that Hamza has been shifted to his residence in Jauhar Town, Lahore, where police and agency personnel met him.
The leadership of the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML), a political front of Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed's banned Jamat-ud-Dawah (JuD), including Hafiz Saeed's son Hafiz Talha Saeed, also called on him.
TV host retired Justice Ghazi, who remained unhurt in the attack, remained a legal counsel for Hafiz Saeed, they said.
The PMML has strongly condemned the attack on Hamza and demanded that those involved in the incident be arrested immediately.
Hamza is regarded as LeT's second most important leader after its chief Hafiz Saeed, who has been in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Jail since 2019 after getting convicted for several years in terror financing cases.
Hamza has been designated as a terrorist by the US. In the past, he served as the head of LeT's "special campaigns" department.
In 2018, Hamza formed a fundraising group for the LeT following a ban on the JuD and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation by the Pakistani government.
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