Uproar in Rajya Sabha over Gulshan Kumar killing

Congress and members of the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party argued at length in the Rajya Sabha during zero hour after Gurudas Dasgupta of the Communist Party of India raised the issue of the murder of music magnate Gulshan Kumar in Bombay.

Dasgupta wanted to know why the Bombay police was unable to stop gangland killings and suggested that there was collusion between the goons and the administration and a serious lapse on the part of the state's political leadership.

K R Malkani (BJP) said there was an air of lawlessness in country and a law and order situation had deteriorated ever since the Terrorist And Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act had been allowed to lapse.

John Fernandes, who was in the chair, asked Malkani to stick to the issue raised by Dasgupta and not bring up the wider issue of TADA.

Although Malkani insisted that the issue of withdrawal of TADA and the killing were linked, the chair refused him permission to speak, except in association.

J Chittaranjan, leader of the CPI in the House, said it was believed that a parallel government was being run in Bombay by mafia gangs and suggested that investigation into the murder should be conducted with this in mind.

Tempers rose after Naresh Yadav (Janata Dal) said it was a shame that the Shiv Sena government could not protect even an ardent devotee of Shiva like Gulshan Kumar.

Members from the BJP and Shiv Sena immediately rose, shouting that matters of religion should not be brought into the discussion. Fernandes again appealed that speakers limit themselves to the original issue.

Shiv Sena member Sanjay Nirupam said the Maharashtra government was already giving protection to members of the film world, adding that two hit men of the Dawood Ibrahim gang had been caught in connection with the murder.

The next speaker, Govind Adik (Congress), said the police machinery in Maharashtra was no longer functioning independently and there really was no point in expecting it to do anything useful in the case.

When Adik said there was no alternative but to dismiss the Maharashtra government, BJP and Sena members again shouted that Adik was lying and that he himself associated with gangland leaders.

Fernandes had a tough time getting the MPs to resume their seats and stop trading accusations as to which party backed Bombay mafia gangs.

When Adik was accused of being behind such gangsters as Arun Gawli, he responded by saying that Maharashtra was being run by somebody with a remote control in his hand, hinting at Bal Thackeray.