BJP demands NIA probe in Ganesh Visarjan violence case, submits report

Bengaluru, Sep 20 (IANS) Karnataka BJP on Friday demanded NIA probe in the Ganesh Visarjan violence case while the party committee also submitted a report to the state chief.

Speaking to media at BJP headquarters in Bengaluru after receiving the report, the BJP state chief B.Y. Vijayendra demanded a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the incident.

Criticising the soft approach of the state government, he stated that it has disturbed peace and order in Karnataka.

He said that it is not possible to conduct a proper investigation under the present government into the Ganesh Visarjan violence which took place in Nagamangala, Davanagere.

He demanded that the politics of “minority appeasement” be set aside. In order for all communities to live peacefully, the government should stop the “politics of appeasement” and hand over the investigation of all such incidents to the NIA.

He claimed that Hindus are being oppressed and attacked, and even though these incidents are happening right in front of the police, they remain passive.

“The government is not giving authority to the police is the reason for their inaction,” he said.

He also accused the state government of indulging in “complete minority appeasement” and claimed that the Chief Minister is under the delusion that it was only due to the minority community that Congress came to power.

“This is why minorities are becoming increasingly bold in the state,” he said.

He added that the opposition BJP has taken all these matters seriously and will deliberate on how to address them in the future.

“The situation is worsening, with one incident after another occurring. After the tragic events in Nagamangala, police suddenly stormed into the Sangh's office in Pandavapura and acted rudely. Last night, there was an incident in Davanagere, where Hindu youths were attacked while peacefully carrying out a Ganesh procession,” he alleged.

He added that even police officers were injured by stone-pelting.

“The traitors are emboldened by the state government's inaction,” he alleged.

He said that a group of people from a particular community attacked a peaceful Ganesh immersion procession with swords and knives in Nagamangala.

“They threw petrol bombs, looted Hindu shops, and set them on fire. This all happened in front of the police,” he said.

"The next day, I, along with our party members, visited Nagamangala town. We spoke to everyone directly. The BJP then formed a Fact Finding Committee under the leadership of former Deputy Chief Minister C.N. Ashwathnarayan, which went to the area to investigate.

“The committee met with people, understood the reality of the incident, and gathered information about the planned conspiracy behind it. Today, they submitted the report to me," he said.

Former Deputy Chief Minister C.N. Ashwathnarayan, former Minister K.C. Narayana Gowda, State Secretary Lakshmi Ashwin Gowda, retired IPS officer and party leader Bhaskar Rao, and Mandya District spokesperson C.T. Manjunath were also present at the press conference.