B.S. Yeddyurappa, former Chief Minister and president of the State unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has said that the police were unable to control the situation in Dakshina Kannada district because they were working under tremendous pressure from the State government.
He was speaking at a public meeting organised by the district unit of the BJP against the increasing attacks on activists of Hindu groups, including Sharath Madivala, and “anti-Hindu” policies of the State government, here.
Mr. Yeddyurappa said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had in a meeting of top-level police officers in Bengaluru reportedly questioned the large crowds during the funeral procession of Sharath Madivala, an RSS activist, who was murdered at BC Road on July 4.
Mr. Siddaramaiah had berated the police officers in the meeting and had directed his advisor, Kempaiah, to take direct charge of the coastal districts.
“Does it mean that the Chief Minister has no confidence in his police officers?” he questioned.
The death of Sharath was deliberately announced 20 hours late and, as a result, his father, Taniya could not donate the former’s eyes.
As many as 24 persons belonging to the Hindu groups had died in the last four years. But the government had not taken any action in the matter, he said.
Though it was nine days since the death of Sharath, the police were yet to trace his assailants.
Though there were prohibitory orders in force in Dakshina Kannada for over a week, the situation was showing no signs of returning to a normality, he said.
While the government was dealing with the Hindu groups firmly, it was treating both the Karnataka Forum for Dignity (KFD) and Popular Front of India (PFI) with kid gloves. Both these organisations should be banned, he said.
A delegation of BJP MPs will meet Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and brief him about the situation in Dakshina Kannada soon, Mr. Yeddyurappa said.
Shobha Karandlaje, MP, said that the 24 cases of deaths of Hindu workers should be investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). “If the government has guts let it arrest me and RSS leader Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat,” she said.
V. Sunil Kumar, Karkala MLA, said that since the government was not protecting the Hindus, the people of the Hindu community should start arming themselves with weapons during this “Ayudha Puja” festival.
Mattar Ratnakar Hegde, Raghupati Bhat, Udaykumar Shetty, T.V. Hegde, Sheela K. Shetty, Shyamala Kundar, BJP leaders, were present.
