While lauding the city police for arresting persons allegedly involved in desecration of two nagabanas in the city, Y. Bharath Shetty, Mangaluru City North MLA, said on Saturday that police should trace the persons who hatched a conspiracy to create communal trouble in the city by prompting the persons arrested to descecrate the places of worship.
Talking to reporters, Mr. Shetty said it is difficult to believe that the eight arrested persons went ahead with the desecration of the nagabanas to divert the attention of the police from probing into recent incidents of chain-snatching.
“Nagabanas are highly revered sacred groves and its desecration hurts sentiments of devotees. We cannot believe that these accused alone planned and executed this desecration. There is definitely some political parties, who are desparately trying to show us (the present BJP government) in a poor light. The police should find out who they are.”
This suspicion, he said, gains ground because a relative of one of the accused, who was directly involved in the desecrations, is an activist of a political party. “Soon after the incident in Kodical, some political leaders posted messages on Twitter and other social media to show the ruling party in a poor manner.”
Mr. Shetty said he has prevailed upon Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Home Minister Araga Jnanendra to order for a deeper probe into the desecrations and arrest the conspirators.
The MLA said that following voting for Legislative Council elections on December 10, action will be taken to strengthen security systems at nagabanas and other places of worship in his Assembly constituency.