Within hours after the murder, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Minister K.S. Eshwarappa not only blamed “Muslim goondas” for the murder of Hindutva activist Harsha in Shivamogga, but also alleged that the recent statements of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president D.K. Shivakumar on the saffron flag issue had “instigated” the perpetrators of the crime.
Referring to Mr. Shivakumar’s recent statements on saffron flag being hoisted from a flagpole in a college in Shivamogga, Mr. Eshwarappa said, “Mr. Shivakumar misled people by spreading false information that the national tricolour was lowered to hoist the saffron flag on the college campus.” “Such statements embolden goondas to commit heinous crimes,” he said.
Book a case
Reacting strongly to these allegations, Mr. Shivakumar said the State Government should book a case against Mr. Eshwarappa and arrest him so that normalcy could be restored.
Stating that his statements on the flag issue had nothing to do with the murder in Shivamogga, Mr. Shivakumar said, “We do not want to politicise the issue. We have been protesting against Mr. Eshwarappa and we have demanded that he be sacked from the Cabinet. According to the information available so far, the murder may have taken place in Shivamogga for some personal issue also. Let the police probe the case and arrest those involved in the murder,” he said.
‘Intelligence failure’
Meanwhile, former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has alleged that national political parties are “killing children from poor families for their selfish political goals.”
“I have started doubting whether there is any police Intelligence wing in the State or not. The murder incident in Shivamogga is a glaring example of the failure of the State Intelligence and the inability of the Government to maintain peace, law and order,” he stated.
Speaking to mediapersons at the Vidhana Soudha, Mr. Kumaraswamy said, “When hijab and saffron shawl issues were spread in a planned manner across the State, it was quite evident that the national parties are playing with the lives of innocent children. The murder of the youth in Shivamogga is also a part of the larger conspiracy.’’
