XI LOK SABHA DEBATES,   Session IV (Budget) 

Thursday,March 13, 1997 / Phalguna  22, 1918 (Saka)



Type of Debate: STATEMENT BY MINISTER

Title: Regarding incidents/issues relating to Uttar Pradesh.

TEXT :


THE  MINISTER  OF  HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI INDRAJIT GUPTA): During the Zero Hour on
12.3.97, that is yesterday,  hon.  Members  of  the  House,  while  expressing
concern  over  the general law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh, mentioned
certain specific incidents and issues relating to the State.

1641 hrs (Shri P.C. Chacko in the Chair) 

	I  am  making  a  statement  with  regard  to this. The first incident
mentioned in the  House  related  to  some  relatives  of  Shri  Prabhu  Dayal
Katheria, MP, who are alleged to have been kidnapped. The State Government has
informed that a written report was given by Shri Katheria to the SSP, Agra, in
connection  with  this  matter  on  February  26,  1997 stating that Truck No.
UP-80-E-9967 belonging to Shri Katheria, along with three persons namely, Shri
Ram Swarup, Driver; Shri Ashok, Conductor and Shri Ram  Khiladi,  Helper,  was
not  treaceable  since the night of February 17/18, 1997. The report was given
by him on February 26. Shri  Ram  Khiladi  and  Shri  Ashok  are  said  to  be
distantly  related  to Shri Katheria. According to police records, the driver,
Shri Ram Swaroop, is wanted in a murder case of Police Station Bah,  the  case
being  No.  52/95  under  section  302 IPC and he has been evading arrest. The
police have since 25.10.96 announced a  cash  reward  of  Rs.  1,000  for  his
arrest.  It  is  reported  that Shri Katheria had engaged him about 3/4 months
ago. According to preliminary investigations  of  the  police,  the  aforesaid
three  persons and one Shri Rajender had left the residence of the hon. Member
late in the evening on February 17, 1997 to bring sand from the banks  of  the
river  Chambal  and  around  1 a.m. on the night of February 17/18, 1997, Shri
Rajender got off the truck near Jaitpur at his residence. The  whereabouts  of
the  truck  and  its  occupants  are  not  known since then. A special team of
officers headed by SP Rural Area Agra has been formed  for  investigating  the
case.  Nine  persons  including those mentioned by the hon. Member as suspects
have been questioned so far. Raids have been carried out in various places  in
Rajasthan  and Madhya Pradesh, besides Uttar Pradesh. Enquiries were also made
in Maharashtra and Delhi. The local police is working on various  theories  in
order to work out the case. Senior officers from the DGP Hadquarters, Lucknow,
visited  the  scene  and  are monitoring the progress. This, Sir, is the first
issue which had been raised.

	The incident of murder of Dr. Ved Bhusan, a renowned heart  specialist
of  Muzaffarnagar  district,  who was shot dead on 11.3.97, was also raised in
the House. It has been ascertained from the State Government that  the  doctor
was shot dead by two unidentified miscreants while he was attending to outdoor
patients  at  his  clinic  located at Bhagat Singh Road in Muzaffarnagar city.
According to  information  available,  SP,  Muzaffarnagar,  and  other  senior
administrative  officers reached the spot to take stock of the situation and a
man-hunt has been launched by the Distirct Administration.

	Dr. Ved Bhusan, I have been informed, had also been kidnapped  earlier
from  Muzaffarnagar  in  November,  1995  and  was  kept  in  captivity by the
kidnappers for about 10 days. He was released from captivity as a result of  a
police encounter on 16.11.95 from Deobund town in district Saharanpur. In this
encounter, two kidnappers were killed and three others were arrested.

The arrested persons are in jail since then.  The State Government had offered
to provide security to Dr. Ved Bhushan, but he declined the same.  It has also
been reported by the State Government that Dr. Ved  Bhushan  was  running  his
clinic in rented premises where he had a dispute with his landlord.

	The third incident prominently mentioned by hon.  Members  relates  to
the killing of five people in Hamirpur on 26th January, 1997. According to the
reports  available  with us, an FIR in the matter was registered on 26.1.97 in
Hamirpur against the  accused  persons,  who  include  one  Shri  Ashok  Singh
Chandel,  former  MLA. On the day after the incident, that is on 27.1.97, four
accused were arrested and sent to jail.  Action  to  attach  the  property  of
others  was immediately taken whereafter four more accused were arrested. Shri
Ashok Singh Chandel, former MLA, and his driver are still absconding. A charge
sheet in the case has since been filed on 26th February, 1997.

	As would  be  evident  from  the  brief  details  available  on  these
individual  incidents,  action  by  the  State police has been taken, wherever
possible, and I can assure the House that we will  ensure  that  the  quickest
possible  action  is  taken in the case relating to the kidnapping in Agra and
the murder of Dr. Ved Bhushan in Muzaffarnagar. As  I  had  mentioned  in  the
other  House  during the course of my reply to the debate on the law and order
situation in Uttar Pradesh, we have  further  geared  up  the  law  and  order
machinery  in  the  State. The State Government has already initiated steps on
the Action Plan which we discussed with them and we hope  that  the  situation
will take a turn for the better sooner rather than later.

1647 hrs. (Mr. Speaker in the Chair)

	A mention was also made by some Members of the  campaign  launched  by
the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) for the `liberation' of the shrine at Mathura.
Krishna  Janma  Bhoomi-Shahi  Idgah  Mosque  (KJB-SIM)  complex  at Mathura is
covered under the Places of Worship  (Special  Provisions)  Act,  1991,  which
provides  for  maintenance of the religious character of a place of worship as
it existed on 15th August, 1947. However, `liberation' of the KJB-SIM  Complex
at  Mathura has been on the agenda of the VHP for the last few years. From the
10th of March, 1997, the VHP has started a "Sant Yatra"  in  a  few  districts
adjoining  Mathura.  The  "Sant Yatra" will conclude at Mathura on the 16th of
March. In addition to the demand for `liberation' of the shrine, a demand  has
also  been  made  for  the removal of barricading and withdrawal of the police
force. The Government of Uttar Pradesh has been sensitised by  us.  They  have
assured us that they are committed to ensuring the security of the shrines and
have  made all necessary arrangements, including deployment of adequate police
force for this purpose.




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