BILL 2 LAST

Christian community members also made a strong pitch for
vesting the power to declare certain areas as disturbed in a
non-political authority instead of in the states or the
Indian government.

Justice Joseph said the problem lies not in absence of
law but in enforcement and hoped that the new legislation will
be enforced properly. He asked religious leaders "to show
statesmanship", adding "unless they do it, no amount of
legislation will bring communal harmony in the country."
Qureshi stressed on the need for prevention of communal
violence and said that police reforms and judicial reforms are
the need of the hour as communal violence can not be checked
without speedy investigation and trial.
Bhushan said followers of one religion should change a
ritual if it offends the members of another community and
advocated interpretation of religion in the light of the
current situation.
He also suggested that the bill should include provisions
for collective fine in cases of communal violence, deployment
of army in disturbed areas even without the state asking for
it and vesting the power to declare any area as a disturbed
area in the national council.
Congress party leader Fernandes, while arguing for taking
the majority along, said, "we legislate but if the spirit of
unity has to be achieved, all of us have to work very hard."
Senior journalist and human rights activist Seema Mustafa
felt that the trauma that women undergo during communal
violence is not reflected in the bill. PTI AMR
ANU


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