Siddaramaiah announced that the murder probe would be taken over by CID as the case was not only sensitive but also in the public eye.
Published Jul 20, 2023 | 2:34 AM ⚊ Updated Jul 20, 2023 | 2:35 AM
Murder accused Narayan Basappa Mali and Hassan Dalayath
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday, 19 July, announced that the probe into the brutal murder of Jain monk Acharya Shree Kamakumara Nandi Maharaj in the Belagavi district earlier this month would be taken over by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Karnataka Police.
The Opposition BJP and a section of Jain community had demanded for a CBI probe earlier.
“As the case is sensitive and following public requests, the investigation into this case will be transferred to CID,” said Siddaramaiah in a statement in the Legislative Assembly and sharing details of the incident and the probe so far.
ಜೈನಮುನಿ ಶ್ರೀ ಕಾಮಕುಮಾರ ನಂದಿ ಮಹಾರಾಜರ ಹತ್ಯೆ ಪ್ರಕರಣ ಸೂಕ್ಷ್ಮವಾಗಿರುವುದರಿಂದ, ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕರ ಕೋರಿಕೆಯ ಮೇರೆಗೆ ಪ್ರಕರಣದ ತನಿಖೆಯನ್ನು ಸಿಐಡಿಗೆ ಹಸ್ತಾಂತರಿಲು ರಾಜ್ಯ ಸರ್ಕಾರ ತೀರ್ಮಾನಿಸಿದೆ. pic.twitter.com/Bf7OJxP77h
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) July 19, 2023
Jain monk Acharya Shree Kamakumara Nandi Maharaj was found murdered in the Belagavi district earlier this month.
Parts of his body were found inside an abandoned borewell in the Khatakabhavi village.
The police arrested two persons — identified as Narayana Basappa Mali and Hassan Dalayath — in connection with the murder case after retrieving the body parts of the monk.
The body was cut into several pieces so that they fit into the borewell, the police said, adding they suspected the motive of the murder to be linked to a financial dispute.
The Opposition BJP staged protests both inside and outside the Assembly demanding a CBI probe into the murder, and also petitioned Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot in this regard.
The chairman of the National Commission for Minorities recently wrote to Siddaramaiah, asking him to entrust the investigation into the murder to a very senior officer of the rank of Inspector General of Police, to “unearth the conspiracy” and arrest the “real criminals.”
Scores of people from the Jain community organised a protest at Jantar Mantar in the national capital on Monday against the killing of the Jain monk in Karnataka, demanding a CBI investigation into the incident.
Addressing the people who had gathered at Jantar Mantar, Jain monk Charukirti Swami from Karnataka said that their protest was not against any political party and they want parties to come together and help them get justice in this case.
Another protester, Jinendra Kumar Jain, alleged there was no help from the Congress government in Karnataka.
“We are protesting against Maharaj’s killing. We are here to demand justice for the entire Jain community,” he said.
Participating in the protest, the BJP’s Rajya Sabha member Anil Jain demanded that there should be a CBI investigation into the gruesome murder, adding that monks and saints should be protected in the Congress-ruled Karnataka.
