The Madhya Pradesh government is ready to introduce a strict law against stoners, with provisions to seize the assets of defendants to pay for damage done to any property, including property belonging to individuals, the chief minister said on Sunday. Shivraj Singh Chouhan. .
Speaking to the media, Chouhan said: “Stonemasons are enemies of society, whoever they are. Throwing stones is not a common crime, it can kill people, create an atmosphere of terror, chaos and upset law and order. “Therefore, it would no longer be treated as a misdemeanor, but as a strict law formulated to control it, said the CM.
The move comes after two cases of stoning in rallies of right-wing Hindu organizations in Ujjain and the Indore districts seeking donations for the Ram temple, as they passed through Muslim-dominated towns.
“If someone poses their problems peacefully, democracy prevails. But no one is allowed to damage public property, ”Chouhan said, adding that instructions had been given to formulate the law and work had begun on it.
A senior official said that the law being drafted by the Madhya Pradesh government is in line with the Uttar Pradesh Public and Private Property Damage Recovery Ordinance, 2020, with stricter provisions. “The basic idea of the law is to cover all public and private property destroyed by acts of any kind of vandalism, be it stoning or arson, where the defendant would have to pay for the damages.”
The official said that the law of the Public Ministry will have a broader definition of the scope of private property. “UP has defined private property as that belonging to a religious trust, the Wakf Board or any company, excluding the property of an individual. What we want is that in a matter of public order, if someone’s car is damaged, they can file an FIR with the police and go to the claims court. It will not be a relief mechanism where the government will pay for the damages, but the defendants will have to pay. “
Rock throwing is currently covered by Section 336 of the IPC, and the law will add a section that provides for seizure of property.
After the recent stoning incidents, 18 people were arrested in Ujjain’s Begum Bagh, with the National Security Law imposed against 10, while in Indore’s Chandan Khedi, 27 villagers were arrested and sent to jail while more are identified. .
The stone-throwing demonstrations had been organized by the VHP as part of its campaign to collect donations for the Ram temple in Ayodhya. The VHP has said that around 1.25 million families in 50,000 villages will be covered as part of the campaign.
The defendants have not taken any action against the complaints, which have alleged that the stone-throwing was in retaliation for provocative slogans raised at the demonstrations. In Indore and Mandsaur, the participants of the rallies had also climbed the minarets of the mosques.
.
