CM refuses NIA probe for Bantwal violence

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, July 14 2017: Reports indicate that Chief minister Siddaramaiah turned down the BJP’s demand for an NIA probe into communal incidents in Dakshina Kannada district, and said police will investigate the cases.

He told reporters before participating in the Kalaburagi district-level Congress workers meet, that a team had been formed to investigate the Bantwal violence, under the leadership of the DG and ADGP. The team will visit Bantwal and give a report, based on which action will be taken against the culprits.

He denied the BJP’s allegation that miscreants creating a problem in Dakshina Kannada had come from Kerala, and indirectly blamed the Sangh Parivar for the communal flare-up in the coastal district.


"If Sangh Parivar people maintain calm, there will be no violence in Dakshina Kannada. Union minister Sadananda Gowda should tell the Sangh Parivar to keep quiet before seeking my resignation," Siddaramaiah said.


He also took MP Shobha Karandlaje to task for protesting at Bantwal with a large number of people. "Why did she visit Bantwal when prohibitory orders were in place?" he asked.

Asked about his participation in a Congress programme in Dakshina Kannada last week, the CM said he had visited Mangaluru and not Bantwal.