Judicial inquiry should be conducted to fix responsibility for Delhi violence: Karan Singh

Senior Congress leader Karan Singh on Wednesday said the Army should be deployed if necessary to bring peace in violence-hit parts of Delhi and a judicial inquiry be conducted to fix responsibility after the situation has returned to normal.

After two days of communal clashes that claimed 22 lives, a brittle quiet settled over parts of riot-hit northeast Delhi, but there was violence in some other places with shops set ablaze and the body of an intelligence staffer found in a drain.

"Having lived in Delhi for over half a century and represented it in Parliament, I am shocked beyond belief at the vicious communal riots that have broken out in our capital city," Singh, a former Rajya Sabha MP from Delhi, said in a statement.

"The loss of lives and extensive destruction of property that have accompanied these riots will remain a blot on our capital for many years to come. I sincerely appeal to all communities not to fall into the trap of communal polarization and violence which can only result in further deaths and disaster," the 88-year-old leader said.

Suitable compensation should also be provided to the next of kin of the deceased and to those who suffered loss of property, the former Sadr-i-Riyasat of Jammu and Kashmir said.

"It was essential for the government, which is directly responsible for law and order in the capital, to have intervened effectively as soon as the trouble began. Unfortunately, this did not happen and we have witnessed riots for over three days," he said.

"Even at this late stage, I urge that the para-military forces and, if necessary, the army itself should be deployed without any further delay so that the riots are contained and not allowed to spread to other parts of Delhi," he said.

After the situation has returned to normal, there should be a full-fledged judicial inquiry to ascertain the facts regarding these terrible events so that responsibility can squarely be fixed on all those who, by their acts of commission or omission, were behind this tragic situation, he said.