The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) session was adjourned by corporators of all parties on Friday, in condemnation of the riots that caused threat to life and destruction to property in Mumbai and its suburbs on Wednesday and Thursday.
The House demanded that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) should conduct an inquiry into the incident to prevent any such incident occuring in the future.
“Both events—of a Dalit family being killed at Khairlanji in Vidarbha and the desecration of Baba Saheb Ambedkar’s statue in Kanpur—are disturbing and we condemn them.
However, protestors must be able to check their emotions and not damage or destroy public property,” said Sunil Prabhu, leader of Shiv Sena in the House, while putting forward his request to Mayor Datta Dalvi to dissolve the House.
He also mentioned that the burning down coaches of the Deccan Queen, two local trains, State Transport buses and private vehicles, should be condemned.
NCP leader of the house, Ravindra Pawar, supporting the Shiv Sena added that it was time that the CBI got involved and conducted an inquiry to find out the people behind the riots.
“The Indian Constitution does not promote the destruction of public property and we are against such demonstrators who do not think before they act,” added Rajhans Singh, leader of the Congress at BMC.
The BJP referred to two previous incidences of desecration of statues of historical and political figures which caused similar unrests, one of Dr Ambedkar at Ramabai Ambedkar Nagar two years ago and one of Ma Saheb Minatatai Thackeray that occurred earlier this year.
“The government should ensure that such incidents do not get out of hand and the reactions by protesters remain under control. The government and citizens should act more responsibly,” said BJP leader Para Alavani.