Karnataka government plans to go UP way, make protestors pay

Karnataka government plans to go UP way, make protestors pay

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, Dec 26, 2019: The State government will look at adopting Uttar Pradesh’s policy of recovering the cost of damage to public property from rioters, Revenue Minister R Ashoka said Thursday.

"If protestors cause damage to public property, we will have to enact the legislation to seize the properties of those involved in such activities," Ashoka said, advising people to refrain from violent protests.

Several ministers and party leaders have urged the BS Yediyurappa administration to follow the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government’s model in Uttar Pradesh where notices have been issued to several protestors seeking recovery of the cost of damage to public property.

To recover damages to government property including police motorcycles, the Rampur district administration in Uttar Pradesh has issued notices to 28 people holding them responsible for violence and vandalism. The residents, some who are already in custody, have been asked to explain why they should not be made to pay for damages worth Rs 14.86 lakh.

Kannada and Culture Minister C T Ravi, too, pitched for the ’protestors to pay’ model. "If protestors damage public property, they should be held liable for the same. It doesn’t matter which movement or political party the protestors represent," Ravi said. If the government also decides to move against those who provoke such incidents, then damage to public property during protests can be curbed, he added.

Udupi-Chikmagalur MP Shobha Karandlaje also urged the state government to follow the footsteps of Uttar Pradesh, saying it was an "effective method" to curb violent protests.

Such a thought came a day after the state government took a U-turn on compensating the victims of police firing in Mangaluru, claiming that the deceased were accused of arson. Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, who had announced Rs 10 lakh compensation on December 22, withdrew Wednesday, sparking outrage among the Opposition.

Jaleel (45) and Nauseen (24) were killed after the police opened fire to control an irate crowd in Mangaluru on December 19.