The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday hit out at the Congress and other opposition parties after a Delhi court convicted Ariz Khan alias Junaid, allegedly associated with the terror outfit Indian Mujahideen, in the 2008 Batla House encounter case. The encounter had triggered a political storm with many rights activists and political parties calling it as staged.
The BJP accused the opposition parties of trying to break the morale of the armed forces, while siding with the accused in the encounter case. The saffron party also demanded an apology from leaders of these parties and even called for an inquiry on why they all termed the encounter fake.
“After the Batla House encounter, Digvijay Singh and Salman Khurshid of the Congress party, [Trinamool Congress chief] Mamta Banerjee, [AAP supremo] Arvinf Kejriwal, Left parties as well as the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party had termed the encounter as staged by the police. Now when the country’s court has given its verdict and sentenced a terrorist based on the statements of more than 100 witnesses, scientific evidence and medical evidence, will all these parties apologise to the nation?,” Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said at a press conference at BJP headquarters in Delhi.
“According to Salman Khurshid, [Congress chief] Sonia Gandhi had tears in her eyes after hearing about the killing of the terrorists in the Batla House encounter. Is Sonia Gandhi still crying after the court found the Indian Mujahideen terrorist, Ariz Khan alias Junaid, guilty? Now what will Sonia Gandhi say on the Batla House encounter?,” Prasad asked.
With the election season on in West Bengal, the BJP has trained its guns on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who had also termed the encounter fake.
“She had said that the Batla House encounter is fake and if it is proven otherwise she will quit politics. The Bharatiya Janata Party wants to ask Mamata Banerjee, when is she quitting politics?,” the law minister said. He also slammed Kejriwal and asked if the Delhi chief minister will now apologise to the people.
Prasad said unlike the previous governments, the Narendra Modi-led government has adopted a policy of zero tolerance on terrorism. “Now surgical strike by India is the answer to the Uri terror violence and Balakot air strike is the answer to the terror attack in Pulwama,” he said.
One Delhi Police officer lost his life and two of his colleagues injured and two terrorists were killed in the encounter on On September 19, 2008.
