BJP stages demonstration near Home Minister's residence over Udupi washroom video case
Bengaluru: The BJP on Thursday staged a demonstration near Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara's residence alleging the Congress government was supporting ''terrorists'' and siding with the accused girls in the Udupi washroom video case.
Party activists also staged protests in several parts of Karnataka including the coastal district headquarters town of Udupi accusing the Congress of indulging in ''appeasement politics.'' In Bengaluru, the activists raised slogans near Parameshwara's residence alleging that he is ''preparing ground'' to withdraw police cases against the rioters of DJ Halli and KG Halli riots three years ago in which the then sitting Congress Dalit MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy's house and KG Halli police stations were torched.
Three people were killed and over 50 injured in the riots that erupted in D J Halli and K G Halli, allegedly due to a derogatory social media post by a relative of the Murthy in August 2020. Parameshwara has asked officials to examine the request by a Congress MLA to withdraw cases against ''innocent'' youths and students, who were arrested under ''false cases'' in connection with protests and riots in Bengaluru's D J Halli and K G Halli, Shivamogga and Hubballi among other places.
The Opposition BJP has sharply reacted to this and has accused the Congress government in the state of giving ''clean chit to the communal criminals of one community, and playing to the tune of Jihadists and PFI terrorists''.
Parameshwara has, in a July 19 note to Principal Secretary-Prisons, Civil Defence and Auxiliary Services (PCAS), Home Department, cited a request letter by Narasimharaja MLA and former Minister Tanveer Sait in this regard.
''It has been requested that innocent youths and students have been arrested under false cases in connection with protests and riots in Bengaluru's D J Halli and K G Halli, Shivamogga, Hubballi and other places, and to withdraw cases in accordance with rules, after review. It is instructed to take necessary action in this regard after review,'' the Home Minister's note said.
The activists who marched towards Parameshwara's residence raised slogans: ''We condemn the Congress government supporting the DJ Halli and KG Halli 'terrorists'.'' In 'Freedom Park' here, the women's wing of BJP staged a sit-in demonstration. They shouted slogans accusing the Congress government of shielding the accused girls in the washroom video case..
Three people were killed and over 50 injured in the riots that erupted in D J Halli and K G Halli, allegedly due to a derogatory social media post by a relative of the Murthy in August 2020. Parameshwara has asked officials to examine the request by a Congress MLA to withdraw cases against ''innocent'' youths and students, who were arrested under ''false cases'' in connection with protests and riots in Bengaluru's D J Halli and K G Halli, Shivamogga and Hubballi among other places.
The Opposition BJP has sharply reacted to this and has accused the Congress government in the state of giving ''clean chit to the communal criminals of one community, and playing to the tune of Jihadists and PFI terrorists''.
Parameshwara has, in a July 19 note to Principal Secretary-Prisons, Civil Defence and Auxiliary Services (PCAS), Home Department, cited a request letter by Narasimharaja MLA and former Minister Tanveer Sait in this regard.
''It has been requested that innocent youths and students have been arrested under false cases in connection with protests and riots in Bengaluru's D J Halli and K G Halli, Shivamogga, Hubballi and other places, and to withdraw cases in accordance with rules, after review. It is instructed to take necessary action in this regard after review,'' the Home Minister's note said.
The activists who marched towards Parameshwara's residence raised slogans: ''We condemn the Congress government supporting the DJ Halli and KG Halli 'terrorists'.'' In 'Freedom Park' here, the women's wing of BJP staged a sit-in demonstration. They shouted slogans accusing the Congress government of shielding the accused girls in the washroom video case.
The BJP activists also alleged that the Congress government was ''diluting'' the Udupi case. Police have filed an FIR against three girl students -- Shabnaz, Alfia and Aleema -- and the management of the paramedical college where the alleged incident of secretly filming a fellow student in a washroom took place last week. The three students have been suspended from the college. Due to the police barricades, the activists couldn't go near the minister's house. They were all detained and taken away.
In Udupi, students and the members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad too staged demonstrations against the Congress government.
During the protest, the ABVP activists, in which a majority were girls, raised slogans seeking ''justice''. They also sought to know why there was a delay in registering a case.
They demanded an independent and fair inquiry into the case.
Meanwhile, Parameshwara said he never called the Udupi incident an innocent act of children.
''You all have studied in college. Sometimes certain things used to happen between the students and we would resolve it amongst us. That shouldn't be a big issue,'' Parameshwara told reporters here.
He also said such issues should be left among students only.
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Assam records nearly 18 pc voter turnout in first two hours of assembly polls
Guwahati (PTI): A voter turnout of 17.87 per cent was recorded in the first two hours of the assembly elections in Assam, where the BJP-led NDA is seeking a third consecutive term in power, while the Congress is striving to reclaim a state it lost a decade ago.
Polling began at 7 am for the 126-member assembly, and 17.87 per cent of the state's 2.5 crore voters exercised their franchise till 9 am, officials said.
A total of 722 candidates are in the fray for the elections, which is largely witnessing a direct contest between the BJP-led ruling coalition and the opposition bloc helmed by the Congress.
The river island of Majuli recorded the highest turnout in the first two hours at 20.03 per cent, while Tamulpur in the Bodoland Territorial Region witnessed the lowest at 15.32 per cent.
Voters began queuing outside polling booths since early morning, despite rain in many parts of the state.
Prominent candidates who have cast their votes so far include Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia in Nazira, Assam Jatiya Parishad president Lurinjyoti Gogoi in Khowang, and BJP's Pradyut Bordoloi.
Votes are being cast at 31,490 polling stations across the 35 districts of the state, with polling concluding at 5 pm.
Among the heavyweight candidates whose fates would be decided in this election are Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, state Congress president Gaurav Gogoi, AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal and Raijor Dal leader Akhil Gogoi.
The Congress has fielded the highest number of candidates at 99, followed by the BJP with 90. The AIUDF has 30 candidates, while NDA constituents Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bodoland People's Front (BPF) are contesting 26 and 11 seats, respectively.
In the opposition bloc, Raijor Dal is contesting 13 seats, Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) 10, CPI(M) 3 and APHLC 2. Other parties in the fray include AAP (18), UPPL (18), TMC (22), JMM (16), besides 258 Independents.
Algapur-Katlicherra and Karimganj South have the highest number of candidates at 15 each, while nine constituencies -- Rangia, Jagiroad (SC), Hojai, Naduar, Jonai (ST), Doomdooma, Mahmora, Teok and Lakhipur -- have only two candidates each.
