Lucknow: Members of the Uttar Pradesh unit
of Congress today staged a walkout in the Vidhan Sabha,
demanding a judicial probe into the alleged security lapse
during Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit`s visit to
Bareilly.
The members, through an adjournment notice, raised the
issue of alleged security lapse during February 11 visit by
senior party leaders, including Dikshit, former Madhya Pradesh
chief minister Digvijay Singh, Pervez Hashmi and state unit
chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi among others.
The leaders had gone to offer a `chaddar` at the famous
dargah of Imam Ahmad Raza Khan, a prominent cleric belonging to the Barelvi Islamic school.
The members, including Pramod Tewari and Pradip Mathur,
alleged that despite being duly informed, the Bareilly
administration acted in "an irresponsible manner and created
an atmosphere where these leaders were exposed to unnecessary risks."
State Parliamentary Affairs Minister Lalji Verma, quoting
the district magistrate`s report, said though the leaders were
exposed to hardships due to immense crowd and narrow pathways, they were given full security.
Verma said lady police officers were also made available
for Dikshit and Joshi.
Stating that the district magistrate`s report was not
right, the members pressed for a judicial inquiry into the
incident. When their demand was not accepted they staged a
walkout, shouting slogans against the government.
-PTI
