Bhagalpur riots probe panel blames then Congress government

Patna, Aug 7 The Bhagalpur Riots Probe Commission's report was tabled in the Bihar assembly on Friday by the government ignoring the noisy scenes created by the BJP.

The report blamed then Congress government in the state and local administration and police for the riots, which claimed over 1,000 lives.

The chairman of the panel Justice (retd) N.N. Singh, in his report, categorically said the failure of the district administration and police to take immediate action resulted in the riots.

"If district administration and local police had taken actions and measures, riots could be avoided," he said.

In February this year, the Bhagalpur Riots Probe Commission submitted its report to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Soon after coming to power in November 2005, Nitish Kumar had set up an inquiry commission under Justice (retd) N.N. Singh to probe the 1989 communal Bhagalpur riots.

Kumar had appointed the probe panel in February 2006 in view of the state cabinet's decision to get 27 cases of the communal riots re-investigated to bring the guilty to book and punish the officials responsible for their acquittal, despite substantial evidence against them.