Prime Minister Manmohan Singh cautioned Maharashtra and Karnataka to be extra vigilant against communal riots and asked them to guard against attempts to “weaken the fabric of our inclusive society”.
At the conference of chief ministers’ on Internal Security, Singh said that while the overall situation across the country was peaceful vis-à-vis communal harmony, “states like Maharashtra and Karnataka need to exercise greater vigil to maintain communal peace”.
Later, Home Minister P. Chidambaram said he would write to chief ministers of these states and request them to pay special attention to this matter.”
He, however, did not specify which these states were.
Last month, the Home Ministry had, in response to a Parliament question, tabled statistics relating to communal incidents. The data said most incidents were registered in Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Ashok Chavan told Singh that his government had taken a number of steps to raise security preparedness in the state.
Presenting his report at the meeting, Chavan said that the state government had acted on several recommendations made by the Ram Pradhan Committee set up by to inquire into the 26/11 terror attack.
{{/usCountry}}Presenting his report at the meeting, Chavan said that the state government had acted on several recommendations made by the Ram Pradhan Committee set up by to inquire into the 26/11 terror attack.
{{/usCountry}}Chavan demanded Rs 97.51 crore under the Modernisation of Police Forces scheme. He pointed out that the state had received little funds from the Centre than what was earmarked.