Bengaluru, Apr 9: Karnataka BJP leader and MLC N Ravikumar on Saturday accused Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant of "lying" regarding the recent murder of a 22-year-old youth here, and claimed that the victim's family had stated that the incident took place because he did not know Urdu.
On April 6, Home Minister Araga Jnanendra had stoked a controversy, citing a similar reason for the murder, but had subsequently retracted from it by stating that the incident was actually over road rage, and that his earlier statement was "wrong", as it was based on source-based preliminary information.
The Home Minister's statement had evoked sharp reaction from opposition parties.
"Simon (Simon Raj, the victim's friend) was at the spot when the incident took place. He has seen Chandru (the victim) being stabbed, when he said he doesn't know Urdu. His statement is there, do you want more truth than this?" Ravikumar asked.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "First thing is what Simon has said is true, second is there is truth in what his mother has said...there is truth in what his aunt and family is saying. If more truth is required, conduct an inquiry. The Police Commissioner has lied...The Home Minister's earlier statement was correct."
Reacting to the allegation by the MLC, Pant said, "Based on all the information, I had told you (the media) about the case that day. There was a collision between bikes following which a fight broke out, leading to the incident."
Giving details about the incident, Pant on April 6 had said the killing was over a road rage.
"On the midnight of April 4 at around 2.30 am, Simon Raj and Chandru, both friends, had gone to an eatery at Hosaguddadahalli, and as the shop was closed they were returning. While returning on their bike, they collided with another bike, being ridden by one Shahid. This led to a quarrel," the police commissioner said.
"During the fight, Shahid along with two friends (who joined him) stabbed Chandru on his right thigh and the assailants fled from the spot. Chandru was shifted to Victoria hospital, where he succumbed to his injury. All the three accused were arrested," Pant added.
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Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday hit out at the BJP and the Election Commission over voter deletions during the SIR exercise and said her party will move a court again to resist the removal of electors from the rolls.
Her comments came after nearly 91 lakh voters' names were deleted from the electoral rolls following the completion of the Special Intensive Revision in the state.
“You will not be able to defeat the TMC by deleting names. We will move a court again to resist the exclusion of names," Banerjee said while attacking her principal challenger BJP over the roll revision exercise.
Banerjee had in February argued in the Supreme Court as she sought an intervention in the SIR process.
The EC figures, which pushed the total deletion to over 90.83 lakh names from the original voter base of 7.66 crore in October 2025, showed that the proportion of removal of electors now remains at over 11.85 per cent.
Criticising the poll panel over the SIR process, she also said, "We will fight legally to get the names included on the list as per the Constitution. If people cannot cast their votes, what is the need to frame the tribunal? And then you are saying that the list has been frozen. What is this? We will challenge it and try to understand it."
Addressing a poll rally at Arambagh in Hooghly district, the TMC supremo accused the saffron party of trying to manipulate the electoral rolls and offering money to woo voters.
Banerjee also charged the Election Commission with intimidating people over the phone.
“It (EC) is working at the behest of the BJP. It is calling people over the telephone to threaten and intimidate them,” she claimed.
Later, while speaking at a rally in Balagarh in the same district, Banerjee warned that voting for the BJP would effectively mean "giving up fish, meat, and speaking in Bengali".
“People are not allowed to eat eggs, fish, or meat in the BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra. The same will happen here if the BJP comes to power," Banerjee claimed.
