Click to play videoMumbai Police on Monday shot down a gun-toting youth from Bihar in a public bus after he fired indiscriminately and threatened to kill MNS chief Raj Thackeray, adding a new dimension to the violent campaign against migrant workers in Maharashtra. The incident led Bihar political leaders to call for a judicial enquiry into the killing. Speaking exclusively to CNN-IBN, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad called the shootout a “brutal murder.”
Rahul Raj, 25, was shot in a Mumbai transport bus by the police after he attacked the conductor and fired in the air, according to Maharashtra police officials. The officials said Rahul had raised slogans hailing Bihar and Patna.
Rajdeep Sardesai: Within hours of the shootout in Mumbai you have already asked for a judicial enquiry. An armed man in a public bus attempted to shoot other passengers. Is it justified? Is it the way for a politician to call for an enquiry immediately?
Lalu Prasad: From the television footage that we saw it shows that the boy does not look like a terrorist from any angle.
Suhasini Haidar: He shot at two people – the conductor of the bus and a passenger were injured. So we cannot say that he is not a criminal.
Lalu Prasad: We have no clue who he shot at. And if they were shot then where are the injured people?
Rajdeep Sardesai: There is an injured person in the hospital. An encounter took place on Monday. Why are you blaming the police? What is the message that you are sending out?
Lalu Prasad: I consider the Mumbai Police’s actions as a brutal murder. This is not an encounter. An encounter is that in which the police is also attacked or injured. I would have understood the situation if the police was compelled to fire. Here the police could have captured the boy but they simply shot him down.
Rajdeep Sardesai: But post this call for an enquiry the divide between Maharashtra and Bihar has widened. This has almost become Maharashtra versus Bihar rather than you leaders thinking as Indians.
Lalu Prasad: No, no. We and the people of Maharashtra are united. We are all Indians first. But this act by the Mumbai Police has to be probed. Without doing his enquiry Maharashtra Home Minister RR Patil said, “The answer to a bullet will always be a bullet.”
Suhasini Haidar: What you are talking about is between political parties. But you are calling this incident a cold-blooded murder. The Mumbai Police are considered to be the best in the business. On what basis are you making these allegations?
Lalu Prasad: Not everyone is bad in the Mumbai Police. But this incident in particular is wrong. A revolver’s range is 50 feet. So they could have captured the boy. The police could have spoken to him on the phone and negotiated with him. So this is not a question of the people of Bihar or Maharashtra.
Rajdeep Sardesai: Laluji, that is exactly what is happening. When you are calling for a judicial enquiry into an incident in which a man in a public bus is shooting common men then you are creating a divide between Maharashtra and Bihar. You are making it seem like you stand for Bihar and the state government stands only for Maharashtra.
Lalu Prasad: No, please don’t club the two together. We are against those who do such things like Raj Thackeray and Shiv Sena. Not only them, even RSS and Bajrang Dal are also diving this country.
I want to appeal to the people of Maharashtra to oppose such people.
Suhasini Haidar: Laluji, today you are blaming the RSS, Bajrang Dal and Shiv Sena but what the nation saw today was that an ordinary commuter was harassed by a gun-wielding man.
Lalu Prasad: Please understand that I am not defending anyone.
Rajdeep Sardesai: The man could have killed a number of people. You keep blaming parties like the Shiv Sena and others but are you saying that the UPA Government and the Maharashtra government is soft on leaders like Raj Thackeray? Are you conceding that the Vilas Rao government is weak?
Lalu Prasad: There have been weaknesses. We have called for an all-party meeting to find out what each party thinks on this matter. We want to find out who is supporting such incidents that are ruining the integrity of this country.
Rajdeep Sardesai: You are raising your voice today because the elections are coming up. You are playing election politics. You think you can take up this issue to restore your position in Bihar.
Lalu Prasad: I am not playing election politics. From the very beginning we have been speaking against the separatist and communal forces. We recently saw that a Sadhvi was arrested by the police for the Malegaon blasts. This is what is happening in the country. So ban RSS. These forces are playing politics. I am just trying to build the country in a better manner.
Rajdeep Sardesai: Thank you for speaking to us.
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