Lucknow cleric demands quick passage of Communal Violence Bill in Parliament

Lucknow Muslim cleric Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangi Mahali said Monday that the Communal Violence Bill must be passed by parliament.

Mahali said, "The Communal Violence Bill must be passed by Parliament and it should take a legal form. Only then, can communal violence in the country be stopped and the officers involved in spreading it will be held responsible".

He said that no significant progress can be made in thwarting communal violence unless strict laws are in place.

He also said, "I appeal to all the members of the parliament to pass this bill so that we can safeguard the nation against communal violence and focus on growth and development".

According to Mahali, any city that witnesses communal violence gets pushed backwards by 40 to 50 years in terms of development.

"The bill is not for any particular community or clan, it is a general law that focuses on how to stop communal violence and who is to be held responsible for occurrence of riots" he added.