Shiv Sena activists brought Central Railway services to a standstill for more than an hour on Thursday demanding the inclusion of 700 trade apprentices in the regular cadre. MUMBAI, July 10: Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde today rejected the opposition demand for a judicial probe into the attack on Congress legislators Anees Ahmed and Ashok Mohol and a CBI inquiry into the assault on anti-Enron crusader Medha Patkar and journalist Pramod Bhagwat. He claimed that the law and order situation in the state was much better than it was during the erstwhile Congress rule.``There have been no communal riots after the alliance government came to power two-and-a-half years ago, so we feel ours is a better administered state,'' Munde told the legislative Assembly today.In a marathon debate on the law and order situation in the state, Munde claimed that after the alliance government was sworn in, the metropolis had not witnessed any gang wars. Besides, more than two dozen dreaded gangsters had been killed in police encounters.``During the Congress rule 10 police officials and four senior politicians, including Sena legislators Vithal Chavan and Ramesh More, were shot dead and the then government failed to book the culprits,'' he pointed out. ``Now we are trying to improve the situation, but under the Congress regime stern action was never forthcoming,'' he said.Referring to the police attack on Anees Ahmed, Munde said that youth Congress workers under his leadership had broken barricades and attacked law enforcing agencies. The police was left with no alternative but to resort to cane charge, in which Ahmed was injured, he explained. ``The incident is unfortunate, but the police should not be blamed for it as they were just maintaining law and order,'' he remarked.About the recent attack on Ashok Mohol at Pune, Munde said it appeared to be related to inter party disputes regarding elections to the local cooperative sugar factory. ``All the 13 accused named by Mohol have already been arrested and special police protection will be given to him,'' he added.Munde said he was awaiting the report of the Konkan range Deputy Inspector General of Police in connection with the assault on Medha Patkar, while the case relating to the attack on journalist Pramod Bhagwat had been entrusted to the Criminal Investigation Department. On the affidavit filed by Indian Police Service official Y P Singh alleging that Munde interfered in police transfers, the deputy chief minister said that he had just forwarded the requests received by him to the Director General of Police (DGP). ``Out of the 600 letters forwarded to the DGP, in 33 cases the DGP has passed orders,'' he said. Patil said that five top police officials had been fined in connection with the Arun Gawli case.
