Mangaluru violence: Congress leader U T Khader alleges conspiracy within BJP to bring bad name to CM
Bengaluru, Dec 24: Former Karnataka minister and senior Congress leader U T Khader on Tuesday alleged there was a conspiracy within the ruling BJP behind the recent violence in Mangaluru to bring a bad name to Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and demanded a judicial probe to bring out the facts.
"People want justice, whoever is the culprit no one will support them, but truth and facts behind what happened (in Mangaluru) have come out and who ever is the culprit have to be punished," he told a press conference at the KPCC office.
Opposition parties have been questioning the police action in opening firing during the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and proposed National Register of Citizen on December 19 and have alleged failure of intelligence.
The former minister said a judicial probe by a sitting judge was necessary to bring out the facts, as he warned the state government of agitation by the Congress, if the party's demand was not met with.
"You (government) have ordered CID and magistrate inquiry, why two inquiries...looking at these things what I feel is... to bring a black mark to Yediyurappa administration and to bring bad name to him, there is internal conspiracy within his party (BJP). BJP's internal conspiracy is the reason behind it," he charged.
Khader questioned the purpose of the CID inquiry, saying it was also part of the police department and also sought to know why no action had been taken against the security personnel so far.
The state government has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the violent protests in Mangaluru that led to killing of two people in police firing. Yediyurappa had on Monday said both CID and magisterial probe would be ordered into the protests.
The Congress MLA also questioned the release of video clippings purportedly showing protesters bringing stones in an auto-trolley, hurling it at the personnel and trying to destroy the CCTV cameras.
"Who is releasing the video, when inquiry has been ordered by the government, there has to be an inquiry into it," he said and wondered whether it was a "government sponsored violence".
On claims by police and the government that people had come in from Kerala to indulge in violence, he said "show us, how many had come? let them say how many (outsiders) have been arrested so far."
Claiming that the Chief Minister had asked the police to maintain restrain, he asked who gave the order for the action and said there was a doubt whether the police was not under the control of the state government.
"...authorities have claimed that they had to open fire when crowd tried to attack a station where there were arms.
... but firing happened at 750 meters away from the station, under Pandeshwara limits," he claimed.
He described the violence in Mangaluru as "failure" on part of the state government to maintain law and order and also that of the intelligence.
Khader defended his controversial statement that the state would "blow up in cinders" if the Yediyurappa government tried to implement the CAA, which the BJP had blamed for the violence in the coastal town.
"What have I said? ...if without taking people into confidence if we implement it suddenly, I had warned that what happened in other parts of the country, will happen here too.
As a public representative is it wrong to highlight the feelings of the people...," he asked.
A case had been registered against Khader over the speech.
Attacking the BJP, he alleged the ruling party was blaming the Congress for the violence to "cover up their misrule and inability" to solve issues.
"BJP is manipulating the issues against Congress by projecting that those not in support of NRC and CAA did not have concern for the nation. They (BJP) are number one in manipulation, but not in work," he charged.
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South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
