Congress walks out over Joshi house arson case

LUCKNOW: Date: July 15, 2009. Site: 45, Sarojini Naidu Marg residence of UPCC president Reeta Joshi Bahuguna. Two policemen ��� SP (east) and circle officer, Hazratganj emerged on the scene around 10.30 pm. A huge jerrycan containing inflammable oil was smuggled into the house. Then entered a strong band of hoodlums, who set the apartment on fire. The drama, that lasted for over three hours, put the UP police in shame, the Mayawati government under cloud and democracy in tatters.
This graphic description of the incident was given in the Vidhan Sabha by Congress legislature party (CLP) leader Pramod Tewari, who said : ���The rest is now a history that the Mayawati government will find difficult to escape from.��� While demanding a CBI probe into the incident, he said the government���s role was questionable, as it had taken no action against the erring police officials and rewarded Intezar Abdi, a BSP activist and ���accused��� in the incident with a ministerial post soon after the incident.
Incidentally, chief minister Mayawati who was present in the beginning when the issue was raised, did not attend the House when it witnessed uproar over the issue. She also passingly referred to June 2, 1995 incident in which she was put under siege at the state guest house and said that this was also probed by the CB-CID.
���This was no ordinary incident. The government had not only torched a house, but also the democracy that had propelled Mayawati to this height,��� Pramod Tewari said, while speaking on the admissibility of his adjournment notice.