Shiv Sena's ultimatum to Team Anna: Sack Prashant Bhushan in 24 hours

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Friday demanded that Team Anna "sack" senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan for his "anti-India remarks" within 24 hours, a party official said.

Party spokesperson and MP Sanjay Raut told media-persons that Bhushan’s "treacherous" statements on Jammu and Kashmir cannot be tolerated and Team Anna should first sack him from its organization. “After this, the union home ministry should book him for treachery and initiate appropriate proceedings against him,” Raut demanded.

His statement came after Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray lauded the persons who assaulted Bhushan in his Supreme Court chamber last Wednesday. The attack was in retaliation to Bhushan’s comments advocating ‘plebiscite’ in Kashmir, which has raked up a controversy. Thackeray also said that if Bhushan is a lawyer why is he ‘representing’ Pakistan on the Kashmir issue.

The 74-year old Anna Hazare responded by distancing himself from Bhushan’s controversial comments and reiterating that Kashmir was “an integral part” of India.

“Kashmir is an integral part of India. Bhushan has given his personal opinion and Team Anna is not in agreement with the views,” Hazare told media-persons in his native village Ralegan-Siddhi.

Later, Team Anna, while stressing that Bhushan was airing his personal views on Kashmir, denied any moves to remove him from the anti-corruption panel.

Kashmir integral part, Prashant Bhushan too: Anna Hazare

New Delhi: Terming his team member Prashant Bhushan’s views on Kashmir as “wrong”, Anna Hazare said Kashmir is an integral part of India.

Reiterating Hazare’s view that the senior advocate’s remarks on Kashmir were his own, Team Anna cleared said Bhushan is an “integral” and “inseparable” part of their group.

They also hinted at possibility of a deeper “conspiracy” behind attack on Bhushan on Wednesday which was followed by bashing of their supporters outside a Delhi court on Thursday. They said it needs to be probed in detail and these actions could be to divide their team and affect the Lokpal movement.

“Today our core committee met and we discussed several issues including our member Prashant Bhushan’s remark on Kashmir. He is an inseparable and integral part of our team. However, his views on Kashmir are his personal views,” team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal said.

Kejriwal said through Anna Hazarewas not present in  the meeting physically, they were talking to him on phone constantly.

Asked about their view on whole issue including Kashmir, Kejriwal read a statement which said: “IAC stands for unity and integrity of India. We believe Kashmir is an integral part of India. Kashmir is a complex problem and should be solved through peaceful means and dialogue within the four walls of our constitution.”

A controversy over Bhushan’s continuance in the team broke out when Anna while talking to mediapersons in Ralegan Siddhi said Bhushan’s remarks were his own and the team doesn’t agree with it. “Woh aage jaake hum log tay karenge, rakhna (hai) nahi rakhna (We will decide later whether he will be in the team),” Hazare told reporters. Kejriwal said the confusion started because during this interaction some one asked him if Bhushan would be removed from the team.

Attackers who assaulted Prashant Bhushan for Kashmir remark arrested

 

 

New Delhi: A day after the assault on Supreme Court lawyer and Team Anna member Prashant Bhushan, the two attackers were held at Tilak Marg police station here on Thursday.

 

Tejinder Pal Singh Bagga and Vishnu Verma were apprehended from a place near Baba Kharak Singh Marg, they said. Bagga had on Wednesday said that he would surrender in a local court.

One Inder Verma, who claimed to be the Delhi president of Sri Ram Sene, was arrested on Wednesday in connection with the incident.

The attack on Bhushan came live on the TV screens when the trio barged into Chamber No 301 of New Lawyers Chamber opposite Supreme Court and attacked him mentioning "Kashmir, Kashmir". Bhushan was giving an interview to a TV channel at the time of the incident.

Bhushan was assaulted on Wednesday by three youths belonging to a right-wing group in his Supreme Court chamber for advocating holding of a plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir. 

On social networking site 'Facebook', the account holder in the name of 'Bhagat Singh Kranti Sena' had claimed they "hit Prashant Bhushan hard in his chamber in Supreme Court. If you will try to break my nation, I will break your head" which was repeated on Bagga's Twitter account as well.

Asking supporters and well wishers not to resort to any violence against members of the Sri Ram Sene, he said answer to violence is not violence.

Bhushan said the youth who was arrested has been identified as one Indervir who claims to be the state president of Sri Ram Sene. 

Don’t regret act, can repeat assault: Prashant Bhushan’s attacker

New Delhi: Tejinder Pal Singh Bagga, who along with two others attacked senior Supreme Court lawyer and Team Anna member Prashant Bhushan inside his chamber, threatened to repeat the act.

Showing no remorse for his shocking act, Bagga told a television news channel that he was angered by Bhushan’s remark advocating a referendum in Jammu and Kashmir and that he could again launch an assault on the senior lawyer.

Bagga and his aide Vishnu Gupta were arrested by Delhi Police on Thursday morning from near Baba Kharak Singh Marg. The third attacker, Inder Verma, was held minutes after the trio entered Bhushan’s Supreme Court chamber and thrashed him on Wednesday.

Bagga told the channel that he supports Anna Hazare’s war on corruption but added that he would never tolerate people talking about bifurcation of Kashmir or speaking in favour of Afzal Guru or Ajmal Kasab.

Responding to a question, Bagga admitted that he was an active member of BJP Yuva Morcha but added that he left the organisation two years ago due to basic ideological differences.