Candle light demo in city

Hyderabad: Condemning serial blasts in Bodh Gaya, a large number of Buddhists and members of various Dalit organizations including the Andhra Pradesh Budhists' Organisation and Ambedkar Youth Association staged a candle light protest on the Tank Bund on Sunday evening. Speaking on the occasion, Mallepalli Laxmaiah, rights activist and senior journalist called the attacks unfortunate. "The attacks were not just on Bodh Gaya, but also on Indian culture and history," he stated. He flayed political leaders for not uttering a word in condemnation of the blasts that injured two persons and damaged furniture of a temple. He demanded government to act against the perpetrators of the crime. "Though there was an alert from intelligence department, police department proved to be insensitive" he said. The blasts took place because both state and Union government failed to maintain law and order, he remarked. Peace activists decryattacks Religious leaders and peace activists from across the country condemned the blasts in Bodhgaya on Sunday. Cova, a network of NGOS, in a statement issued here, demanded action against perpetrators of such crimes. It dismissed the reports that the attacks were orchestrated in retaliation for attacks on Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. The film maker Mahesh Bhatt, Swami Agnivesh, Dr Mazher Hussain (COVA), Dr D Yadiah Boudhik Pramukh, All India Samata Sainik Dal, Dr Binayak Sen, PUCL and several others strongly condemned the attack on the holiest places of Buddhism. Expressing their anguish and shock over the heinous attack on a place of worship of great spiritual and historical significance, they described it as dastardly act of crime against humanity. The activists urged civic society to discourage the speculation till proper investigations were conducted and culprits were identified. The polarization arising out of the speculations could unleash a new wave of violence against the Muslims, particular Rohingya who have taken shelter in various countries including India due to violence in Myanmar. "We appeal to people in India and across the world to view this terror attack as an action by some misguided criminals and not to consider this as an act of vengeance by the Rohingya community or Muslims in general. We also urge the government to initiate a speedy, professional and thorough probe to apprehend the culprits and expose and punish both the perpetrators and conspirators of this dreadful act", says a letter.