Diggy, Pachouri detained

By SUDHIR K. SINGH

Bhopal/Indore

July 6: AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh and MPCC chief Suresh Pachouri were arrested along with two dozen of their supporters at Indore airport on Sunday under Section 151 of the IPC following refusal to end their dharna in protest against denial of permission by the district authorities to meet the riot-affected in the curfew-bound city. Exemption from arrest was granted to Mr Narayan Samy and Mr Kantilal Bhuria on account of their status as Central ministers.

The arrested Congress leaders were taken straight to Ashta jail, 109 km from Indore. En route Mr Singh told mediapersons that he had no intention of applying for bail and would remain in jail as long as necessary. Septuagenarian Opposition leader Jamuna Devi, on her part, also made a half-hearted effort to sit on dharna in front of the chief minister’s official residence in the state capital, but was arrested and later admitted to a city hospital after she complained of breathlessness. She was back home in the evening. Meanwhile, the MP Congress took a decision during the day to gherao on July 8 the premises of the state Assembly whose Monsoon Session begins on Monday.

The Indore drama began at around 11 am after Mr Singh & Co landed at the airport aboard the personal aircraft of Union minister Kamal Nath. They were immediately stopped from proceeding to the city on account of the curfew. An argument ensued. When both the SP and collector stuck to their guns, the foursome decided to sit on dharna in protest. They asked if clearance of the Central authorities had been obtained to turn the airport into a jail. The officers clarified that they had merely been detained, not arrested.

The formal decision to arrest the protesting Congressmen was taken at about 7 pm. Mr Singh accused chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan of showing "disrespect" to a senior leader like Jamuna Devi by not as much as inquiring about her welfare. State BJP president Narendra Singh Tomat countered that Congress sympathisers had instigated the riots by encouraging Muslims to defy the bandh call. Allowing Mr Digvijay Singh and others, he argued, to meet the rioters would have aggravated tensions, especially since Indore was fast returning to normal.