Bangalore riots sponsored by Jaffer Sharief

Jaffer Sharief’s fault?

http://mid-day.com/news/nation/2007/january/150640.htm

By: Savie Karnel
   January 23, 2007

BANGLAORE: When former Union minister and Congress leader C K Jaffer Sharief visited Bowring hospital, members of the Muslim community blocked his way.

Later, only after the people scolded him harshly for being the root cause of the communal tension, was he allowed entry. Sharief’s detractors say they don’t see why a rally protesting former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s hanging should have been held on Friday — 20 days after incident.

Procession
 
“What was the need for a procession 20 days after the hanging of Saddam?” asked Ibrahim Sharief, a resident of Shivajinagar. Gulshanji, a youth Congress leader holds Sharief responsible for the riots.

“He held the rally to show  he still has the support of the people. He created the tension, so that the rally hits headlines. If there was no violence, there would have been no much talk about the rally,” said Gulshanji.

“The date for Vishwa Hindu Samjotsava was announced three months ago but Sharief chose a rally just two days before it,” Gulshanji said. “The state congress has sent negative reports about Sharief. He did not work in the interests of the party,” he said.

Muslim from Shivajinagar and Bharatinagar blamed Shantinagar MLA Nirmal Kumar Surana. “We are not against the BJP. We have a BJP MLA Katta Subramanya Naidu in Shivajinagar. But we don’t blame him. We blame Surana, who on Friday night, paid 400 people to come to Bangalore from places like Mangalore to  riot,” said Haku, who added that the Shantinagar police was  hands in glove with Surana