Congress responsible for 1984, 1989 riots; BJP for 2002 riot: Nitish Kumar

PATNA: Congress governments at the Centre and in Bihar were responsible for the anti-Sikh riots in 1984 and Bhagalpur riots in 1989 while BJP government in Gujarat was accountable for the 2002 riots in that state, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said here today.

All these riots were blots on the country for which all Indians were ashamed, Kumar said and asked those responsible for the carnage to own up responsibility.

Nobody could escape accountability for these incidents, the chief minister told reporters here.

Kumar slammed the RJD-led government headed then by Lalu Prsad for closing the investigation in the Bhagalpur riots case after assuming power in 1990, despite the facts that there were material evidences available to bring the culprits to book.

It was his government that pursued the Bhagalpur riots case and brought the culprits to justice, besides providing assistance and relief to the victims and pension to the those displaced in the incident, Kumar said.