Attempts made to create 'terrorised' atmosphere in Dakshina Kannada, says Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao
Bengaluru, May 29 (PTI): Karnataka Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Thursday said anti-national forces are targeting Muslims and alleged that attempts are made to create a "terrorised" atmosphere in Dakshina Kannada district, where a 32-year-old man was killed, and described the situation as "worrying".
He also hit out at the BJP, citing comments against senior officials from the Muslim community, and called the mindset "extremists or terrorists".
"The incident has pained us. I have discussed with the chief minister and the home minister. We have to take further action. The situation is being created for a terrorised atmosphere there. It is worrying as it is aimed at creating fear, with a mindset that they can do anything without any fear of law. This is very clearly visible," Rao said.
Speaking to reporters after meeting Home Minister G Parameshwara here, he said one person had died, but, as per information received, the plan was to kill more people.
Rao, who is also in-charge of Dakshina Kannada district, said that a discussion will be held with the chief minister regarding further steps to be taken in the district and maintaining law and order.
"These forces are anti-national forces because they want to create a fear in society, on a community -- the Muslim community. If they (Muslims) speak anything they are being targeted -- let it be whoever from the Muslim community -- the kind of language used against Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, Kalaburagi Deputy Commissioner Fouzia Taranum by BJP leaders, it shows the extremists, terrorist mindset of the BJP," he said, pointing at statements made by Madhya Pradesh Minister Vijay Shah and Karnataka MLC N Ravi Kumar respectively.
The murder victim, Abdul Rahiman, and his 29-year-old co-worker Kalandar Shafi, were unloading gravel when two motorcycle-borne youth made a murderous assault on them with a sword in this town on Tuesday. While Rahiman succumbed to his injuries, Shafi is undergoing treatment.
Rahiman's murder comes close on the heels of Suhas Shetty's killing on May 1 in the communally sensitive Dakshina Kannada district, and the latest murder is also being seen as communal overtones prevailing in the district, though a police investigation report is yet to come out.
Stating that statements are being made to project Muslims as Pakistanis, Rao said this country belongs to everyone according to the Constitution, but they don't have faith in it.
"Such a mindset has polluted the minds of the youth and they are getting influenced. This is a bad development as it is becoming a cause for violent incidents. Whoever has committed the crime, whether Hindu or Muslim or Christian, the guilty must be punished and the government is taking all the necessary measures," he added.
The health minister said the person who was killed was innocent and had no criminal background.
"These people (perpetrators) don't have humanity. Which religion says to do such things (murders)? Does Hindu religion or Bhagavad Gita or Ramayana say? Someone who doesn't know anything was killed. What does his family have to do?" he asked.
Noting that strict measures have to be taken to establish peace, punish the guilty and ensure that such incidents don't repeat, Rao said, "Police will have to take further measures, we are discussing it. We have taken the case seriously. This is a challenge for the government. Such forces need to be suppressed legally, and peace should be established in society."
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Illegal sand mining has created environmental crisis in National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary: SC
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Friday said rampant illegal riverbed sand mining has created an "environmental crisis" and wreaked "havoc" in the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary, causing a grave risk to the gharial (long-snouted crocodile) preservation project.
Slamming the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh for their utter failure in dealing with the issue, the apex court directed them to install high-resolution Wi-Fi-enabled CCTV cameras along all routes frequently used for illegal sand mining in the area.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta directed that live feed of such surveillance cameras shall be placed under the direct control, supervision and operational oversight of the superintendent of police or the senior superintendent of police of the concerned district and the divisional forest officer.
It said these officers shall ensure continuous and effective monitoring of the CCTV feeds by designating appropriate officers.
"It can't be gainsaid that the issues involved are of great concern in as much as the rampant illegal mining activities in the river bed have created an environmental crisis and havoc in the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary causing a grave risk to the very project of gharial preservation of which the state governments themselves were proponents and were under an obligation to foster and promote," Justice Mehta said while pronouncing the order.
The bench directed the authorities in these three states to initiate prompt and necessary action under law if any instance of illegal mining or allied activities comes to light.
It said the authorities shall ensure seizure of vehicles or machinery found involved in illegal sand mining and also initiate prosecution of persons involved in it.
The bench, which passed several other directions, posted the matter for hearing on May 11.
The top court passed the order in a suo motu case titled 'In Re: Illegal sand mining in the National Chambal Sanctuary and threat to endangered aquatic wildlife'.
The National Chambal Sanctuary, also called the National Chambal Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary, is a 5,400-sq km tri-state protected area.
Besides the endangered gharial, it is home to the red-crowned roof turtle and the endangered Ganges river Dolphin.
Located on the Chambal river near the tripoint of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, the sanctuary was first declared a protected area in Madhya Pradesh in 1978 and now constitutes a long and narrow eco-reserve co-administered by the three states.
On March 13, the top court took suo motu cognisance of news reports about rampant illegal sand mining on the banks of the Chambal river.
