Vadodara, May 19: The vice-president of the
little-known Bazm-e-Aziz Charitable Trust,
Mohammed Arif Sheikh, has sought permission from
the Gujarat government to initiate criminal
proceedings against mayor Sunil Solanki,
municipal commissioner Rohit Pathak, Vadodara
Municipal Corporation (VMC) standing committee
chairman Dinesh Choksi and police commissioner
Deepak Swaroop for promoting ill-will between
communities.
Sheikh’s request for action against these people
under Sections 153 and 153 (A) of the Indian
Penal Code, which pertain to promoting ill-will
and enmity between different groups and
communities, is also backed by the Peoples’ Union
for Civil Liberties (PUCL),
A notice addressed to the state government’s
chief secretary by the complainant’s lawyer Mukul
Sinha said the offences committed by the accused
were of a very serious nature, resulting in the
loss of life and property of citizens, and hence
a sanction be granted for initiating criminal
proceedings against them.
The notice was circulated to mediapersons at a
press conference addressed by the complainant at
Shishu Milap’s office on Friday. The complainant
was accompanied by PUCL activists Rohit Prajapati
and Kirit Bhatt, besides some advocates from
Ahmedabad, at the time of media briefing.
Sheikh said that authorities’ intention in
pulling down the old dargah was malafide, and
intended to promote disharmony and ill-will
between Mulsims and Hindus.