Govt will talk to protesters,use force if they don’t budge

In the previous hearing on Tuesday,the judges had compared the ransacking of the Indu Mills to the Babri Masjid demolition in 1993 and asked the state government to explain why action has not yet been taken against the occupiers. The court had described the incident as “extremely frightening” and said it has undermined the authority of the Maharashtra government.

On December 15,members of the Republican Party of India (RPI ) had ransacked the mill premises near Chaityabhoomi demanding the construction of an Ambedkar memorial at the spot. This followed a similar protest in which they forced themselves into the mill and installed statues of Babasaheb Ambedkar and Lord Buddha. During the hearing on Thursday,the judges again severely criticised the state government,saying it has taken a “spineless” position on the issue.

Earlier,the government pleader told court it had initiated a dialogue with the protesters. To this,Justice Deshmukh asked,“Would you have held negotiations with the terrorists who entered the Taj Hotel? They have illegally entered a land that belongs to the Government of India.”

Anandraj Ambedkar,counsel for the protesters,told the court that they would give an undertaking saying they would vacate the premises if the Central government made a statement that it is willing to allot a portion of the land for the memorial. Criticising the statement,the court said,“How can you give such threats? You have made your point. Now you should voluntarily leave.” The court has kept the case for hearing on January 4 after the state government made the statement regarding eviction of the protesters.

Security was beefed up at the High Court building on Thursday after rumours that activists of the Republican Party of India (RPI) would stage protests on the issue. Visitors to the court were asked to register their names and were given passes to enter the building,which is not the usual practice. However,while a large number of activists attended the courtroom on Thursday,there was no violence or disruption. Riot police armed with water canons had also been deployed to prepare for possible protests outside the building.