Won't stop if Hindus torch Muslim houses: Pranav Champion

DEHRADUN: Controversial Uttarakhand BJP leader Kunwar Pranav Singh Champion, who was among the nine Congress MLAs who had raised a banner of revolt against chief minister Harish Rawat, in an inflammatory statement said that if people from the Hindu community, in his locality gather together against Muslims and set their houses afire, he won't stop them. "If people from the Hindu community gather together and torch the houses of Muslims, I won't feel the pain, I won't stop them. People are coming from around ten districts of Uttar Pradesh calling me a coward, asking me to come forward and take a stand," Champion said. Former Khanpur MLA said that he will ask his supporters to come with weapons -country made guns, pistols- and attack the police. "The administration is asking me to stop the gathering of my supporters in the area or it will take action. If it is so, I will ask workers to come with weapons -country made guns, pistols- and attack the police if I am stopped from entering my place. Then there will be a civil war like condition like it happened in Muzaffarnagar," he said. Champion, whose supporters violated the prohibitory orders and burnt an effigy of Uttarakhand Chief Minister on Friday, said that the police of Uttarakhand is impotent. However, he said that he don't want such a situation to come. "I don't want such things to take place. Had I wanted, I would have done it on the night of June 1. It is not such a big task for me. I just need to dial  100 numbers from Agra to Noida and from Saharanpur to Bijnor," he said. Thirty-two people, including 12 police personnel, were injured on Wednesday as an alleged forcible evacuation of a scrap dealer's shop and desecration of a religious book kept there by an uncle of Champion and his men sparked tension between two communities in Landhaura area of Roorkee. The groups clashed with each other and allegedly indulged in arson at the former MLA's residence, prompting the police to intervene. Thirteen persons have been arrested in connection with the incident, including Champion's uncle Rajkumar Krishna Singh.