R. Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy, MLA for Pulakeshinagar, has now demanded an impartial probe, either by a judicial commission or the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), into the violent riots in D.J. Halli on the night of August 11, when his house was also targeted and burnt down. “I don’t blame anyone, but I feel there is a conspiracy behind this. I want the truth to be brought out and all the culprits to be brought to book. I have sought a CBI probe from the government,” he told reporters on Sunday.
At present, the government has ordered a probe by a District Executive Magistrate into the firing as per National Human Rights Commission guidelines, while the Central Crime Branch (CCB) and the local police are probing the alleged conspiracy behind the riots.
Meanwhile, Arvind Limbavali, MLA, who led the fact-finding committee of the BJP, said the information emerging from the preliminary probe indicated the role of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and that the conspiracy extended beyond the State. “This is a matter of national security and I request the State and Union governments to hand over the probe to the National Investigation Agency,” he said.
Responding to Mr. Murthy’s recent statement that the city police were yet to give security to him or his residence, Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai told presspersons that he had instructed the City Police Commissioner to provide adequate security to Mr. Murthy, his family, and his home. Mr. Bommai also said the Home Department was looking into ways to ensure that activity on social media doesn't spill over into the real world and create unrest. “There are several recent examples of social media posts triggering unrest. Taking action after unrest is a given, but we need to prevent such incidents from happening. We will hold meetings with our cybercrime division and intelligence units. We are also thinking of holding meetings with social media companies,” he said.
Meanwhile, alleging that those intolerant towards the the laying of the foundation stone for Ram Mandir at Ayodhya were behind violence in D.J. Halli and K.G. Halli, Agriculture Minister B.C. Patil said the attacks were meant to tarnish the image of the Karnataka government and the Narendra Modi-led Union government. “This violence was preplanned. While the Congress is saying that innocents are being arrested, they are in fact not innocents. The Congress legislator’s house was burnt down in the political conspiracy. The Congress is unable to come to the rescue of the Dalit Congress MLA,” he told presspersons at Hirekerur. He also asked why former Home Minister K.J. George had visited the homes of those involved in stone-pelting, but not those of policemen injured in the violence.