Belthangady MLA urges police action against spread of misinformation on Dharmasthala burial probe
Mangaluru: Belthangady MLA Harish Poonja has called on police to take strict action against those spreading false information regarding the ongoing investigation into alleged burials near Dharmasthala. Speaking to the media on Saturday, he said that he has refrained from commenting publicly on the matter, in order to avoid disrupting the Special Investigation Team’s (SIT) work.
Poonja pointed out that the SIT has yet to provide any official updates or submit an interim report to the State government. He asked law enforcement to file suo motu cases against those disseminating unverified claims, whether in support of or against the investigation as misinformation circulating about the probe has upset the local community. The MLA further urged the state government to take appropriate measures to maintain peace and order in the region.
Addressing a related issue, Poonja mentioned that around ten Hindu activists and BJP workers have been named in connection with a group clash at Pangala in Dharmasthala on August 6, following the assault of three YouTubers and a cameraman. He maintained that these activists are innocent and said that police registered cases under political pressure from left-wing groups and the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI).
He also encouraged authorities to act equitably and avoid targeting Hindu activists and BJP workers and warned against actions that could instill distrust among the people.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
