In a bold move to punish stone-pelters, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has declared that his government is bringing in a stringent law that will allow the government to auction off the assets of stone-pelters to recover the damages, Indian Express reports.
After the Delhi riots of 2019/2020, there have been several cases of stone-pelting by protesters which have caused damages in hundreds of crores to both public and private properties. However, to put an end to this menace, the MP government will penalise the guilty who cause damage to public property or individual.
Chouhan said, “stone-pelters are enemies of society; whoever they are their properties would be auctioned to compensate losses.”
“Till now, it (stone-pelting) was considered a minor offence but we are bringing a law which will make the offenders pay,” the BJP leader said.
Often during such protests, miscreants target down shops and even homes and in many times they have burned them to ground. The new law will not only punish them by serving a sentence but also ensure that their properties are auctioned off to reimburse the damage caused by them.
Chouhan explained, “If someone voices their issues peacefully then democracy prevails, but no one can be given permission to damage public property…those damaging public property will not only face stringent punishment but will also have to pay for damage to public property,” he said.
Utter Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath was the first leader to take such action against rioters by starting the process of sealing the properties of those protesters who were involved in creating violence during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) protests across the state.
After the Bhumi-Pooja of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad has started a donation drive for the construction of the temple.
However, MP the decision to auction off the assets of stone-pelters came after alleged attacks on rallies promoting a donation drive in Muslim dominated areas in Ujjain, Indore and Mandsaur districts.
In Madhya Pradesh, CM Chouhan’s cabinet has already approved the Freedom to Religion Bill, 2020 or the ubiquitous ‘Love Jihad’ law, with with a provision of ten years imprisonment and a heavy penalty