Wajahat Habibullah, chairperson, National Commission for Minorities, speaks to Kavita Chowdhury on reservation for Muslims, the RTI Act and the controversy over withdrawal of AFSPA in Kashmir. You had recently visited Rajasthan. In Bharatpur district’s Gopalgarh village, some members of the minority community, Mev Muslims, were killed and the state administration was accused of mishandling the matter. What is your view? A communal riot is an unpardonable crime. The state government has taken...

Rudrapur, an industrial town in Uttarakhand, witnesses large-scale rioting and clashes of a communal nature. THE Garhwal and Kumaon regions, which constitute the tiny hill State of Uttarakhand, were totally free of communal disturbances even when the entire country was in the grip of tension following the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya in 1992 and the Mumbai blasts in 1993. These regions had always maintained communal peace. But on...

-The Indian Express   The inquiry of the National Minority Commission has held the local administration and police department responsible for “over-reacting” and “acting in panic” during the recent communal clashes between Meo Muslims and Gurjjars in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan. NCM chairperson Wajahat Habibullah told The Indian Express that the initial report of the inquiry team had been finalised and sent to the Rajasthan government. The report had found that the local...

-PTI   Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday urged the riot-affected people of Gopalgarh area in Bharatpur to restore harmony and not pay attention to provocative statements given by some "irresponsible public representatives". Gehlot was on a visit to the area which witnessed communal clashes on September 14 following dispute on a public land. Nine people were killed and several injured in the riots. The chief minister said there were some "irresponsible public...

-The Times of India   Even as chief minister Ashok Gehlot met the families of the victims of Bharatpur communal clash, the police on Saturday told the one-man inquiry commission that they have registered five FIRs since the violence broke out on September 15. The police also said they registered a case against imam Abdul Rashid for disturbing peace through his provocative statements. The opposition BJP has demanded action against him. Nine...