While BJP state chief BY Vijayendra terms Congress' behaviour 'anti-Hindu', the ruling party calls the arrest a 'routine part of police work'.
Published Jan 02, 2024 | 5:27 PM ⚊ Updated Jan 02, 2024 | 5:27 PM
The Babri Masjid.
The Hubballi-Dharwad district police, in their routine efforts to address Long-Pending Cases (LPCs), recently made headlines with the arrest of a 58-year-old man connected to a rioting case dating back to 1992.
This incident, tied to the Babri Masjid demolition, has become a political flashpoint, prompting the Opposition BJP to launch a scathing attack on the ruling Congress party in Karnataka, on Tuesday, 2 January. The arrest, coming barely days ahead of the already politicised Ram Temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya, has only made matters more political.
Srikanth Poojary (58) was apprehended from his residence on Friday, ostensibly for an inquiry into old cases. He was taken to Hubballi Town Police Station. However, it was later revealed to his son, who accompanied Poojary, that the arrest was linked to a rioting incident on 5 December 1992, a day before the Babri Masjid demolition in Ayodhya.
Poojary was one of the 11 accused in the case, with three others having passed away since.
The BJP leaders accused the Congress of reviving old cases related to the Babri Masjid demolition and targetting Hindu activists during the inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
Criticising the Congress government for alleged “vendetta politics”, the BJP warned of vehement agitation if the individuals — termed as “karsevaks” — arrested for an incident that occurred 31 years ago, were not released.
Launching a scathing attack on the ruling Congress, BJP state president BY Vijayendra posted on X, “Reopening the old cases on Ram Bhakts in Hubli exposes the cheap mentality of the Congress govt which has made a choice to insult the sentiments of Hindus at a time whole nation is celebrating the auspicious occasion of opening of Ram Mandir.”
He added, “Congress govt has always put hurdles on the Construction of Ram Mandir at every step from the beginning. As if that was not enough, instead of making amends, even now it is trying to stop Ram Bhakts from celebrating during this overjoyous occasion.”
“Minority Appeasement policies of Congress have always been a threat to Hindus and its religious customs, traditions. Unfortunate, Congress prefers politics over religion,” Vijayendra stated.
Reopening the old cases on Ram Bhakts in Hubli exposes the cheap mentality of the Congress govt which has made a choice to insult the sentiments of Hindus at a time whole Nation is celebrating the auspicious occasion of opening of Ram Mandir.
Congress govt has always put hurdles…
— Vijayendra Yediyurappa (@BYVijayendra) January 2, 2024
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday morning at the BJP office in Bengaluru, Vijanendra said that this was a 30-year-old case that was reopened.
“We condemn this and the arrest of Poojary…The Congress govt has behaved anti-Hindu. Yesterday (1 January), Mysuru sculptor Yogiraj’s sculpture has been selected. While we are basking in this, the Congress has done this. We will protest at Freedom Park tomorrow (3 January). Protests will be held in all districts as well. They are only into appeasement politics. They have behaved in such a way as to hurt Hindu sentiments,” Vijayendra stated.
ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ಸರ್ಕಾರ ಹಿಂದೂ ವಿರೋಧಿ ಸರ್ಕಾರ ಎಂಬುದನ್ನು ಪದೇ ಪದೇ ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಜನರಿಗೆ, ದೇಶದ ಜನರಿಗೆ ನೆನಪು ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿದೆ.
ಹುಬ್ಬಳ್ಳಿಯ 31 ವರ್ಷಗಳ ಹಳೆಯ ಪ್ರಕರಣವನ್ನು ಮತ್ತೆ ಕೆದಕಿ ಹಿಂದೂ ಕಾರ್ಯಕರ್ತನನ್ನು ಬಂಧಿಸಿರುವುದನ್ನು ಬಿಜೆಪಿ ಬಲವಾಗಿ ಖಂಡಿಸುತ್ತದೆ.
-ಶ್ರೀ @BYVijayendra, ರಾಜ್ಯಾಧ್ಯಕ್ಷರು#AntiHinduCongress pic.twitter.com/jbx4PvVVsz
— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) January 2, 2024
Opposition leader R Ashoka condemned the arrest of the Poojary and accused the ruling Congress of terrorising Hindu activists.
Commenting on the timing of the arrest, Hubballi-Dharwad City Police Commissioner Renuka Sukumar told South First, “This case of rioting was declared by a Hubballi court as a Long-Pending Case (LPC) in 2006, and the court kept issuing Non-Bailable Warrants (NBWs) as and when the hearings came up as the police were unable to produce the accused before the court, as the accused remained untraceable. The court had also pulled up the police for not doing its job diligently.”
Sukumar added, “The district police, this weekend, attempted to execute the NBWs and started searching for and picking up the absconding accused. Around 38 people involved in around 37 different cases such as murders, robberies, property offences, rioting, drug-related crimes, and cybercrime offences, were arrested and produced before the magistrate. All these cases were long pendency cases and one among the arrested was Srikanth Poojary.”
She added, “These arrests were a routine part of police work.” The SP also confirmed to South First that there were no instructions from atop on carrying out this work. “It was based on the NBWs issued by the court and its orders,” Sukumar reiterated.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah clarified that hate politics is not behind the arrest of “karsevaks” in Hubballi. Innocents people have not been arrested, he said.
The Chief Minister was speaking to the media at Koppal Airport on Tuesday. Siddaramaiah questioned as to what should be done to the wrongdoers.
ಹುಬ್ಬಳ್ಳಿಯ ಕರಸೇವಕರ ಬಂಧನದಲ್ಲಿ ಸರ್ಕಾರ ದ್ವೇಷದ ರಾಜಕಾರಣ ಮಾಡಿಲ್ಲ, ನಿರಪರಾಧಿಗಳನ್ನು ಕೂಡಾ ಬಂಧಿಸಿಲ್ಲ.
ಹಳೆಯ ಪ್ರಕರಣಗಳನ್ನು ವಿಲೇವಾರಿ ಮಾಡಬೇಕೆಂಬ ಗೃಹ ಇಲಾಖೆಯ ಸೂಚನೆಯಂತೆ ಪೊಲೀಸರು ಕ್ರಮ ಕೈಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದಾರೆ.ಆ ಬಂಧಿತರಲ್ಲಿ ಕೆಲವರು ಹಳೆಯ ಪ್ರಕರಣಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಆರೋಪಿಗಳಾಗಿದ್ದ ಕರಸೇವಕರು ಇದ್ದಿರಬಹುದು.
ರಾಜ್ಯ ಸರ್ಕಾರ ಕರಸೇವಕರನ್ನೇ… pic.twitter.com/tGvqrqqDN3— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) January 2, 2024
He added that it has been directed to dispose the old cases. The police have taken action on it. If there is a court order, action will be taken accordingly.
“It’s true that there was a delay in taking action but is there any rule that the arrests should not have happened?” the Chief Minister asked. “What should be done to those who do wrong? Should they be freed just like that? We have directed (the police) to dispose of old cases. Accordingly, the police have taken action. We do not pursue the politics of vendetta or arrest innocent people,” Siddaramaiah said.
The Chief Minister also explained that the state Home Minister G Parameshwara had ordered police officials to pursue and dispose of old cases, so the police rounded up people involved in old cases. Police have only obeyed the Home Minister’s direction, he added.
(With PTI inputs)
