Former minister and State General Secretary of the BJP V. Sunil Kumar on Saturday, May 25, said the recent gang war in Udupi-Manipal is a pointer that the criminals have no fear of law under the Congress government.
In a statement here, the Karkala MLA asked Chief Minister Siddaramaiah when he would get the resignation of Home Minister G. Parameshwara for the collapse of law and order in the State.
A government that sends a posse of police to arrest an MLA (BJP’s Harish Poonja of Belthangady) is caught napping when criminals indulged in open defiance of the law a week ago, Mr. Kumar said. The gang war incident in education hub Udupi-Manipal has sent shock waves across the State, he said.
Mr. Kumar said criminals are on the prowl across Karnataka as the Congress government is misusing police stations to settle political scores. The incident is a classic example of the failure of State police and the Home Minister, he alleged.
Welcoming Mr. Siddaramaiah to Dakshina Kannada district during his Saturday visit (May 25), Mr. Kumar posed questions on law and order to the Chief Minister and asked him to answer them before he left the district. He wondered whether the government was afraid of initiating action against police officers who failed to curb criminals. He also mused whether there is any understanding between the government and criminal persons.
Black spot on Udupi
Yashpal Suvarna, Udupi MLA, said the incident is a black spot on Udupi-Manipal known for religious, educational, healthcare, and banking institutions. The gang war clearly establishes the failure of law and order and the inability of the Home Minister to run the department.
Criminals indulging in gang war openly on a main road is unheard of, Mr. Suvarna said adding the incident exposes the police failure to maintain law and order.
K. Raghupathi Bhat, former Udupi MLA, in his statement said the incident has exhibited that the criminals do not fear the law. If the government fails to leash the criminals, he would be forced to lead street protests, Mr. Bhat warned.
