By Ritu Sharma
Stating that CM Bhupendra Patel’s “bulldozer will roll out in the days to come”, Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi on Wednesday said the state government, in the last one year, has succeeded in getting the culprits punished in 16 cases of cow slaughter, removing illegal encroachments from Dwarka and Somnath, and solving 94 per cent of temple theft cases.
Stressing on Gujarat government’s determination to fight against “love jihad”, cow slaughter and “land jihad”, he said, “Gujarat is the only state where the accused in cow slaughter cases are not only caught but convicted too. In the last one year, 16 persons were convicted of cow slaughter. Be it Kutch, Banaskantha or Amreli, we ensure the accused are convicted so that it creates fear among the killers.”
Addressing a gathering at the foundation-laying ceremony of re-construction of Dr Vanikar Memorial Bhawan, the headquarters of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in Gujarat, Sanghavi said, “Bhupendra Patel’s bulldozer will certainly work in the coming days too as illegal encroachment is still present in many cities. In the last two years, illegal encroachment was removed from government land where schools and hospitals will be constructed soon.”
He further said, “Huge parcels of encroached land have been freed in Dwarka and Somnath. In Kutch alone, 2,000 acres of government land for ports, which was illegally captured and used for drug business, was taken back. Similar drives were carried out in Ahmedabad, Surat and Kheda.”
Highlighting the active role of the state government against “love jihad”, he said that even in the absence of any complaint from parents, Gujarat police was able to get back “innocent girls” from Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra and reunite them with their families. “Bhupendra Patel’s stick will not spare anyone,” he said.
On temple thefts, he said, “Under Tera Tujhko Arpan drive, in the last one year, 94 per cent theft cases were solved and idols and jewellery returned in the presence of trustees.”
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com. Read the full story here.