MUMBAI, July 22: The Communist Party of India-(Marxist) today condemned the ruling Shiv Sena- Bharatiya Janata Party government for justifying the indiscriminate firing on dalits on July 11, 1997 at Ramabai Nagar in Ghatkopar.

At a well-attended public meeting here, speakers lambasted the government for alienating dalits. If no genuine effort was made to bring them into the mainstream, such incidents will only increase in future, they warned, drawing parallels to the Talasari firing of January 26, 1997.

``They did not resort to lathi-charge, firing in the air or even below the waist. Their motive was not to disperse crowds or stop violence but to kill.

This was evident from looking at the dead who were in no way involved with the fracas,'' said a speaker K L Bajaj, while another, Prabhakar Sanzgiri, charged that the sacrilege was meant to deliberately humiliate the dalits.

Speakers demanded the prosecution of police officers responsible for the firing. The meeting was part of the agitation launched by the party, which will be further intensified, CPI-(M) Mumbai secretary Mahendra Singh said.

Khatau mill land sale

Chief Minister Manohar Joshi today said the permission given to the Khatau Mill land sale at Borivli will be reviewed by the state government. Briefing the press, he also said the proposal of the Girni Kamgar Sangharsh Samiti (GKSS) representing the workers to set up a workers' co-operative will be favourably considered.

However, a GKSS delegation, which met Joshi earlier in the day, said they had been assured that the permission for the sale of land has been withdrawn.

CM's assurance to FIAT, PAL

Chief Minister Manohar Joshi today assured the state government will provide all necessary facilities to Premier Automobiles Limited (PAL) and Italian automobile giant, FIAT, to set up their plant at Ranjangaon in Pune district.PAL chairman Vinod Doshi and FIAT officials had called on Joshi and government officials at Mantralaya.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.