Jain pontiff murder case: 'Will ensure such incidents do not repeat', says Karnataka Minister, BJP to protest

Hubballi (Karnataka), July 10 (IANS) After the murder of Sri Acharya Kamakumara Nandi, a Jain monk, Karnataka Home Minister Dr. G. Parameshwara on Monday said that the government will ensure that no such incidents happen again in the state. The opposition BJP not satisfied with the probe has decided to protest.

Speaking to reporters on Monday at Hubballi, Parameshwara stated that "no one will bring politics in connection with the case. The police are taking action against the accused and they have already been arrested. I congratulate the officers.

"Police department will ensure that action is taken. The law will take its own course, there is no question of any kind of bias in this matter. The accused had cut the dead body of the pontiff and dumped it into a borewell," he said.

The Jain pontiffs were protesting at Varur over the incident. "I will speak to them. There is no need for handing over the case to the CBI. The probe is progressing and the accused have been arrested," he said.

"Legal action will be taken. The real fact will come out once the probe is completed. The false allegations should not be made. The state BJP is not able to name the leader of the opposition, there is fighting. The people of the state are observing how far the party is behaving," Minister Parameshwara stated.

Meanwhile, former CM Basavaraj Bommai has said that BJP will protest during the Assembly session over the Jain pontiff murder case. He spoke to Sri Gunadhara Nandi Maharaj of Varur near Hubballi over the phone. Nandi Maharaj had begun a fast until death agitation demanding handing over of the case to the CBI.

State BJP President Nalin Kumar Kateel said that the case can't be taken lightly by the society. The BJP leaders, including Union Minister for Mine, Coal and Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi had alleged that the Congress government was practicing politics of appeasement. He had also stated that the demand for the handing over of the case to CBI will be brought to the notice of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Acharya Shree 108th Kamakumara Nandi Maharaja from Chikkodi went missing on Thursday from the Jain Basadi at Nandi Parvat in Horekodi. The accused persons had cut his body into pieces and dumped them in an open borewell.

The preliminary investigation has revealed that the pontiff was hacked to death in the premises of the ashram and later the body parts were disposed of. One of the devotees close to pontiff had killed him, police said.

The accused from Khatakabhavi village had good rapport with the pontiff. After winning his confidence he had taken lakhs of rupees from the pontiff as loan. When he was asked to repay the loan by the pontiff, the accused hacked him to death.

The main accused had taken the help of a man from Chikodi to carry out the murder. A search operation is currently underway to recover all the body parts.

After the pontiff was reported missing, the management told the police that property documents related to the Jain Basadi were also missing.

The inmates of the ashram last saw him at about 10 p.m. on July 5.

The pontiff had been residing at the Jain Basadi for the last 15 years.

A missing case was lodged with the Chikodi police station by Bheemappa Ugare, the President of Acharya Kamakumaranandi Charitable Trust.

The police have arrested two persons and are grilling them.

During the course of investigation, they confessed to killing the pontiff but gave contradictory statements regarding the disposal of the body. The accused had confessed to the murder after being asked to repay the loan, he stated.

Sri Rama Sena founder Pramod Muthalik has stated that he does not agree with the theory of police that the Jain pontiff was murdered over a loan issue. "There is a conspiracy behind this incident. The mentality of cutting the body into pieces must be effectively dealt with by the government. Politics of appeasement is resulting in such heinous crimes," he said.