Sporadic violence in Uttara Kannada district continued unabated on Tuesday too, as a bandh in Sirsi town turned violent, with cases of stone-throwing and vandalism taking place. The police fired tear gas shells to control the mob in some parts of the town.
This comes a day after a similar bandh and protest rally in Kumta, called by the BJP, turned violent. Prohibitory orders continue in the district for the next two days. A rally was taken out by the BJP and other Hindutva outfits, though prohibitory orders were in place in Sirsi on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the political row over the alleged murder of Paresh Mesta reached the Raj Bhavan on Tuesday, as BJP legislators petitioned Governor Vajubhai R. Vala demanding a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the case. The BJP continued to claim that Mesta was tortured and killed, despite the doctor, who conducted autopsy on the body, refuting the claims. The BJP alleged that the doctor’s statements were only “part of a cover-up”.
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Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy refuted the BJP allegations saying that they had to wait at least till the post-mortem report is out, before deciding if it was a murder. He accused the BJP of spreading rumours and politicising the issue, for electoral gains.