Terming communal violence as a challenge for democracy, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said the administration must act decisively against those responsible for it. Addressing the sixteenth meeting of the National Integration Council in New Delhi this morning, Dr. Singh said, it has to be ensured that responsible for communal violence should be punished. He said, it is the responsibillty of state governments to ensure people responsible for communal violence should be punished. Dr. Singh also appealed to the media not to politicise communal violence. Dr. Singh condemned Muzzafarnagar communal violence in Uttar Pradesh in which more than 50 lives were lost. He also said, anti-national forces are using very small incidents to trigger communal riots.

Speaking on the ocassion Home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said, the meeting will also focus on important topics of like security and safety of women. Deploring the increase of recent incidents of violence against women, the Home minister said, the goverment has made the law more stronger to provide stringent punishment to the culprits.