The Hindu : Withdraw CBI cases, Uttaranchal House tells Centre

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Feb 17, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Withdraw CBI cases, Uttaranchal House tells Centre

By C K Chandramohan

DEHRA DUN, FEB. 16. The Uttaranchal Vidhan Sabha today passed a unanimous resolution urging the Centre to withdraw all CBI cases pending against Uttarakhand activists.

The resolution was moved by the Chief Minister, Narain Dutt Tiwari, after a debate on the issue under Rule 311.

The House was adjourned twice as the entire Opposition entered the well seeking a discussion on the unrest in the State following the sentencing of a former students union leader, Umesh Charan Gusain, to three years' rigorous imprisonment by a local court last week for having participated in the burning of the residence of the District Judge of Tehri in 1994.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and Uttarakhand Kranti Dal members shouted slogans accusing the Tiwari Government of having failed to protect the interests of the activists who had agitated during the separate State movement. The members also voiced concern over another student leader, Gambhir Singh Kathait, attempting self-immolation in New Tehri on February 14 to protest against the court order. Mr Kathait is undergoing treatment in a Delhi hospital.

Meanwhile, Dehra Dun observed a near total bandh today in response to a call by the ruling Congress. A bandh was observed in Chamoli district also.

Reports of Congress workers burning effigies of the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, have come in from various parts of Dehra Dun, Tehri, Chamoli, Nainital and Almora districts.

Senior Congress leaders are accusing the BJP-led Union Government of having refused requests from the State to withdraw the CBI cases against Uttarakhand activists.

Not to be outdone, the BJP cadres are reported to be burning effigies of the Chief Minister and the State Government in various districts "for having failed to stop victimisation of the Uttarakhand activists".

The Uttarakhand Sanyukt Sangharsh Morcha, a non-political organisation of action groups that crusaded during the Uttarakhand movement has called for a bandh and road blockade in Dehra Dun on February 17. Kamla Pant, patron of the Morcha accused both the Congress and the BJP of trying to win over voters before the coming general polls by blaming each other.

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