Karnataka govt directs CID to probe Chandru murder case
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government has decided to hand over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) the probe into the case relating to the murder of 22-year-old Chandru who was allegedly stabbed to death recently by some Muslim youths.
Chandru, who was accompanied by his friend Simon Raj, was stabbed to death by Shahid Pasha on April 4 afternoon.
While the police maintained that it was a case of road rage, the ruling BJP asserted that Chandru was stabbed for not knowing Urdu as stated by the Home Minister Araga Jnanendra before retracting.
"I spoke to the Director General of Police and the Bengaluru police Commissioner. I have decided to hand over the case to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). Let an impartial probe happen by a third party and truth should come out," Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai told reporters on Sunday.
Probably, the Commissioner will write to the Director General of Police to hand over the case to the CID, he added.
Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra who had initially said on Wednesday that the youth was stabbed to death for not knowing Urdu, later retracted it after coming in for flak from various quarters.
Bengaluru police maintained that it was a case of road rage and not any other case. The police said Chandru's bike had collided with Shahid Pasha's two-wheeler.
The Congress too demanded Jnanendra's resignation for stoking communal passions with his statement and giving a twist to the case.
However, on Saturday, the ruling BJP in Karnataka accused the Bengaluru police of covering up the murder.
"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, he had 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 are saying. If more truth is required, conduct an inquiry. The Police Commissioner has lied...The Home Minister's earlier statement was correct."
Congress MLA and former minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan had said Araga Jnanendra's statement was wrong and backed the police that it was a case of road rage.
However, Bommai said, "who says what is not important. What matters is that truth must come out. I have decided to give it to the CID for fair probe."
Talking to reporters on Sunday, Jnanendra said the case will be transferred to the CID for a detailed inquiry.
"We will make sure that the murderers get proper punishment for their crime. Carrying out such a gruesome murder for a trivial matter shows the mindset of the murderers. We want to send across a message in the society that the government is with the poor and helpless people," he added.
Jnanendra also said that neither he as a home minister nor the police are inept.
"We are capable. We will make sure that conviction happens and law and order prevails. All the evidence concerning the case will be gathered," he added.
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Rupee strengthens past 90/USD level in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee appreciated 24 paise to 89.96 against the US dollar in early trade on Friday, supported by corporate dollar inflows and easing crude oil prices.
Forex traders said the gain in the USD/INR pair follows the rupee’s string of record lows in recent weeks on likely intervention from the Reserve Bank of India.
Moreover, crude oil prices hovering around USD 59 per barrel level supported market sentiment.
ALSO READ:Rupee trades in narrow range against US dollar in early trade
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 90.19 against the US dollar, then gained some ground and touched 89.96 against the US dollar, registering a gain of 24 paise over its previous close.
In initial trade it also touched 90.22 against the American currency. On Thursday, the rupee appreciated 18 paise against the US dollar to close at 90.20 against the greenback.
The rupee sank to a fresh record low, breaching the 91-a-dollar mark for the first time on Tuesday.
"Since the speculators are out of the market the buying of US dollar syndrome has come down a bit though intra-day we could see spikes," said Anil Kumar Bhansali Head of Treasury and Executive Director Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP.
The US CPI came lower than expected but was also due to non-collection of sufficient data and therefore, the next month’s CPI becomes more important, Bhansali said, adding that "Rupee remains in a range of 90-90.50".
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.04 per cent higher at 98.46.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading lower by 0.27 per cent at USD 59.66 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share benchmark index Sensex climbed 375.98 points to 84,857.79, while the Nifty was up 110.60 points to 25,934.15.
Foreign Institutional Investors purchased equities worth Rs 595.78 crore on Thursday, according to exchange data.
Meanwhile, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) member Sanjeev Sanyal on Thursday said he is not concerned about the rupee at all, arguing that even China and Japan witnessed exchange rate weaknesses during their high growth phases.
Speaking at 'Times Network's India Economic Conclave 2025', Sanyal said since the 90s, the rupee has mostly been allowed to find its own level, but the RBI uses its reserves to intervene in either direction to stop excessive volatility.
"I am not concerned about the rupee at all... Let me say that the rupee and its current weakness should not be necessarily conflated with some economic worry, because historically, if you go over time, you will see that economies that are in their high growth phase very often go through a phase of exchange rate weakness," he said.
