Controversy after Karnataka govt withdraws case against Hubballi rioters
BJP hits out at Congress. Union Minister Pralhad Joshi described the Siddaramaiah government's decision as "height of appeasement"
The Congress government in Karnataka has decided to withdraw a criminal case against a mob that attacked police officers with stones in Hubballi on April 16, 2022. This was one of the 43 cases the state Cabinet decided to withdraw at its meeting on Thursday (October 10) following a petition by the Anjuman-e-Islam organisation to the Home Minister G Parameshwara.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said, "The government has the powers to withdraw some cases. There is a Cabinet subcommittee under Home Minister's leadership, as per their discretion they have taken the decision and the Cabinet has approved it. I will see what it is."
On BJP planning a protest against the decision in Hubballi, Siddaramaiah told reporters in Mysuru, "BJP always protests on false issues, not on true issues..."
What happened in 2022?
According to the police, an accused had allegedly posted derogatory content on social media. "Upset with the post, nearly 150 people from the minority community armed with stones and clubs gathered near the Old Hubballi Town police station on April 16, 2022 at about 10.30 pm," a police official said.
"They were demanding that the police hand over the accused to them so that they can finish him off right there. They also warned that whoever would protect the accused would not be spared and allegedly raised slogans to kill policemen protecting him," the official said.
A police inspector tried to persuade them to give up their "adamant stand" and disperse but they wanted to barge into the police station, the sources said.
The mob then attacked policemen with clubs and stones and injured many of them on duty, and also damaged several government and private vehicles there.
"Accordingly, the Old Hubballi Town police registered a case of rioting, attempted murder, attacking government officers, damaging government and public properties and also under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act against the accused," the official said.
'Politics of appeasement'
Meanwhile, the BJP on Friday accused the Congress government of indulging in “politics of appeasement” and asked how will the party protect the country's democracy if it cannot even protect the police personnel of the state under its rule.
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Union Minister Pralhad Joshi described the government's decision as "height of appeasement".
“Unfortunately, the Congress party here in Karnataka has reached the height of appeasement. They have withdrawn the case under the UAPA case, when the matter is before the NIA court. In normal course as far as I know, the state cannot withdraw it but still they have withdrawn it. This is the height of appeasement,” Joshi said.
“I am absolutely flabbergasted. This is nothing but the politics of appeasement. There were extremely serious allegations. There was an attack on a police station. Over 158 people were involved in this case of serious rioting,” BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj told a press conference at the party headquarters in New Delhi when asked for a comment.
'Cannot protect'
The police personnel had suffered injuries in the incident, she said and asked if the Congress government cannot protect the “protectors of the country”, how will it protect democracy.
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“I am really shocked to see that Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar wrote to the Karnataka Police department asking for withdrawal of these cases. This is in contravention to the report submitted both by the state police department as well as the law department,” the New Delhi MP said.
Swaraj alleged that the Congress government in Karnataka has decided to withdraw the case to serve its selfish political interest. “The Karnataka government is only practicing politics of appeasement,” she added.
BJP's IT Cell head Amit Malviya too attacked the Congress, saying, "This is nothing but Congress’s naked politics of Muslim appeasement."