M A I N   N E W S

Amar Singh blames murder on UP Govt
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 25
The Samajwadi Party General Secretary, Mr Amar Singh, today said the killing of party Lok Sabha MP, Phoolan Devi, at her residence here today was timed before the Assembly elections in UP and held the state government responsible for her killing.

Speaking to newspersons after the killing, Mr Amar Singh said the BJP-led state government had withdrawn security to several political leaders on the plea of curtailing expenditure.

With most of the Opposition members moving without adequate security, the threat perception before the coming elections had increased considerably, he added.

He pointed out that the slain MP belonged to the most backward class in the state and her killing indicated the state of the law and order situation in UP.

He said the killing had taken place in a high security zone right under the nose of the Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani. This reflected on the governance of the BJP, he added. The BJP, while condemning the killing of Phoolan Devi urged various political parties not to give it any political colour.

The BJP spokesman, Mr Vijay Kumar Malhotra, said the killing of Phoolan Devi was sad and unfortunate and the real challenge before the Delhi police was to nab the culprits.

Reacting to Mr Amar Singh’s charges, the BJP spokesman said the scaling down of security was for everybody, including MPs of the ruling coalition based on the perception assessment by the Home Ministry.

The Congress said the country had been witness to a week of violence beginning with the killings during Amarnath yatra and culminating in the day light murder of the Lok Sabha MP.

UP bandh over Phoolan’s murder

Lucknow, July 25
The Samajwadi Party has called for a dawn to dusk bandh in Uttar Pradesh tomorrow in protest against the daylight murder of its party MP, Phoolan Devi, in New Delhi today.

The president of the party’s state unit, Mr Ramsharan Das and leader of the Opposition in the legislative council, Mr Ahmed Hassan, blamed the UP Government for the incident, terming the killing a “political murder’’.

Mirzapur from which Ms Phoolan Devi was elected to the Lok Sabha, also happened to be the home district of the Chief Minister, Mr Rajnath Singh, he said.

Charging the Government with ignoring the security cover of the MP, they said the district authorities of Bhadoi had rejected the plea of Phoolan Devi to give her a licence to possess arms.

Demanding immediate dismissal of the BJP-led government in Uttar Pradesh, the SP leader said it had no moral right to continue in the office any more. UNI

Parliament adjourned
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 25
Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned for the day as a mark of respect for sitting Lok Sabha Samajwadi Party member Phoolan Devi, who was shot dead by car-borne assailants at her residence here this afternoon.

The Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, broke the news to shocked members in the Lok Sabha.

He informed the members that Phoolan Devi was attacked by three masked persons while returning to her Ashoka Road residence, hardly a kilometre away from Parliament House. She was rushed to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital where she was declared brought dead.

Phoolan Devi was accompanied by her personal security guard, who tried to resist the attackers and got seriously injured. The gunman was in a “semi-conscious” state and efforts were on to revive him. The bodyguard could throw some light on the incident if he survived, he added.

Mr Advani, who spoke to the city Police Commissioner, Mr Ajai Raj Sharma, said according to preliminary information the assailants left the Maruti car at the scene and fled on a three-wheeler scooter which was parked nearby. Investigations were on, he added.

Soon after the Home Minister made the statement, the Speaker, Mr G.M.C. Balayogi, urged the members to observe silence for one minute for the departed soul.

The Rajya Sabha members too observed a minute’s silence before the House was adjourned for the day. The Lok Sabha was adjourned earlier in the day too as the Opposition led by the Congress and BJP members did not heed to Speaker G.M.C. Balayogi’s repeated pleas to resume their seats.

Left with no other option, the Speaker adjourned the Lok Sabha till 2 p.m.

Soon after question hour and laying of different papers on the table, Congress members were on their feet protesting against recent “atrocities” on the minorities in Moradabad district of UP and “inaction” of the BJP-led government in the state.

Some of them moved to the well of the House waving copies of newspapers carrying reports of killings and urging the Speaker to allow a discussion on it.

At this point some Samajwadi and Bahujan Samaj Party MPs were also seen in the well but their words were lost in the ensuing noise and din.

On the other side, ruling BJP members were also seen moving towards the well of the House shouting slogans against the Congress Government in Chhattisgarh. They were demanding the dismissal of the Chhattisgarh government on the issue of assault of some party MPs during a recent demonstration in Raipur.