UP CM too withdrew cases against him, says Karnataka Home Minister, defending move on Hubballi riots
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Monday defended the government's decision to withdraw cases pertaining to the 2022 Hubballi riots and claimed that even Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had dropped ones against him.
He was reacting to the BJP staging a protest at Freedom Park here against the
government's October 10 move to withdraw criminal cases registered against a mob which had attacked policemen with stones on April 16, 2022 in Hubballi town in north Karnataka.
This is one of the 43 cases the state Cabinet decided to withdraw at its meeting on Thursday following a petition by the Anjuman-e-Islam to Parameshwara, official sources said.
“After approving the proposal to withdraw the case, we have to inform the court. If the court accepts the proposal then the case will be withdrawn. If it doesn’t then the case won’t be withdrawn. We have to follow all the procedures cautiously. We cannot withdraw on our own just because someone said it,” Parameshwara told reporters here.
He claimed that BJP leaders too had withdrawn cases when they were in power in Karnataka and other states.
“The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister (Adityanath) had cases against him. He withdrew cases against him holding the Chief Minister’s post. So many cases were withdrawn,” the Minister said.
“Whom are you accusing when the system is like that? We have done it within the framework of the system,” Parameshwara said, slamming the BJP.
He said there were about 60 proposals and the government withdrew 43 cases.
“Are there only minorities in those cases? All are there – farmers, students, and ordinary citizens who took part in various agitations. If all the 43 cases were against the minorities then I agree with them. We cannot do that. We have to see everyone with equal footing,” Parameshwara explained.
When asked about the proposal to withdraw cases pertaining to the DJ Halli and KG Halli rioting in 2020, the Minister said the government will examine them as well after following the due procedure.
“I am not the only one to decide. The Chief Minister and Home Minister alone cannot do it. There are so many brains working behind it,” Parameshwara said.
At the protest site, BJP State President B Y Vijayendra, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka, former Deputy Chief Minister C N Ashwath Narayan and other party leaders condemned the government's move terming it "appeasement politics."
They accused the government of withdrawing cases against individuals charged with rioting and violence.
"Attempted murder and inciting riots are not trivial offenses, yet Congress prioritises vote-bank politics over justice," Vijayendra said.
By encouraging wrong-doers, the Congress government is emboldening anti-social elements and undermining public safety.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Pro-chancellor of St Aloysius University, Fr Melwin J Pinto SJ passes away at 63
_vb_92.jpeg)
Mangaluru: Fr Melwin J Pinto SJ, Pro-chancellor of St Aloysius University Rector of St Aloysius Institutions, and Vice President of Mangalore Jesuit Educational Society (MJES), breathed his last on Friday, April 10. He was 63.
Born in 1963, Fr Melwin Pinto completed his schooling and college education at St Aloysius before joining the Jesuit order on June 20, 1981. He was ordained as a Jesuit priest on April 14, 1997.
Over the years, he held several academic qualifications, including an MA in English, a Master’s degree in Education, and diplomas in psychology and counselling as well as school administration.
He began his career in education as headmaster of St Joseph’s Primary School and High School in Hassan, serving between 1996 and 1999.
He later founded St Joseph’s Indian PU College and served as its principal until 2007. He subsequently served as headmaster of St Aloysius High School, Mangaluru, from 2007 to 2011, and later as principal of St Joseph’s PU College, Hassan, until 2012.
Fr Melwin Pinto also worked with Vatican Communications and Radio in Rome, contributing to its English desk for Asia and Indian languages.
He later served as superior and director of Fatima Retreat House in Valencia for two years from May 2017, before being appointed as superior of the Jesuit study home ‘Vidyaniketan’ in Dharwad.
He was also closely associated with the development of St Aloysius Institutions and played a key role in securing the status of a Deemed-to-be University. His contribution to the education sector and efforts towards innovation were widely acknowledged. He was known for maintaining close relations with people from all sections of society.
Legislative Council MLA Ivan D’Souza, in a statement, said the demise of Fr Melwin J Pinto was a huge loss to the educational and religious fields and had created a significant void in society.
Dakshina Kannada District in-charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao also expressed grief, stating that his service and contributions to education would always be remembered.
Details regarding the funeral are yet to be announced.
