The CPI(M) today squarely blamed the administration and the police for the recent police firing in Rajasthan's Bharatpur district that claimed nine lives and demanded adequate compensation to the families of the victims who belonged to the minority community.
"The atmosphere of peace and communal harmony that had prevailed in Gopalgarh over the years has been vitiated by this incident," the party Politburo said in a statement.
The statement came after a CPI(M) delegation led by the party's Central Committee Member and MP Tapan Sen and Rajasthan state unit Secretary Vasudev visited Gopalgarh where the incident took place on September 15 and interacted with a cross-section of the people and police officials.
It said the delegation was informed that after a compromise was arrived at between the two communities over a piece of disputed land, "some anti-social elements resorted to spreading rumours intended to create disturbances. People had assembled in large number on both sides".
"The administration and police officials instead of checking the veracity of the rumours, resorted to indiscriminate firing at a place of worship. All those killed belong to the Meo community," the party said.
Holding the district administration and the police for being "wholly responsible for the killings", the CPI(M) demanded that the officials responsible for ordering the firing should be proceeded against.
It said that reported statements by some senior officials justifying the firing and also saying that no one was killed "has further incensed the people who have borne the brunt of the police attack".
Demanding adequate compensation and government jobs for a family member of the victims, the CPI(M) said that unless the issues of the economic, social and political backwardness of the area were addressed, "vested interests will continue to utilise the situation to further their aims".
