Post communal violence, multi-party delegation calls for peace in Dakshina Kannada

Mangaluru: Leaders of opposition parties and civil society organisations in Karnataka on Friday submitted a memorandum to Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner K V Rajendra urging him to take adequate measures to contain communal violence in the coastal district.

The delegation that met the deputy commissioner comprised representatives of Congress, CPI, CPI(M), JD(S), DK district Muslim Federation, Dalit organisations and other outfits.

The delegation demanded that equal justice be provided to the slain victims of the recent communal violence and to protect the constitutional rights of all sections.

The leaders wanted the authorities to provide equal compensation to the families of the slain youths in the recent murders that took place in the district. Leaders of all parties, except the ruling BJP, were part of the delegation.

Former minister and Congress leader B Ramanath Rai, during the meeting, urged the deputy commissioner to direct the police to book the conspirators and plotters responsible for creating disharmony in society and send them behind the bars to end communal tension in the district.

The government should provide equal compensation to all the three victims who lost their lives in the communal violence. The district administration should also hand over the Mohammad Fazil murder case, allegedly a retaliatory attack after BJYM leader Praveen Nettar’s murder, to the NIA, he said.

DYFI state president Munir Katipalla said as the accused persons in the Nettar murder case are charged under the Unlawful Activities Prevention (UAPA) Act, the same should be applicable in the Fazil murder case also.

Actions like putting up a banner of Godse will create tension in society and swift action should be taken against those behind such activities, he said.

After listening to the leaders, the deputy commissioner said the district administration had worked constitutionally as per the directions of the government.

Rajendra said the district administration had imposed restrictions in the district as per intelligence inputs to avoid untoward incidents.

On the installation of ”provocative banners”, he said a meeting was convened with police and officials of the revenue department and they have been asked to take action whenever required.

Congress leaders including MLCs Manjunath Bhandary and Harish Kumar, JD(S) leader Sushil Noronha and delegation secretary K Yadav Shetty were among those present.

In the spate of violence last month, Fazil was murdered at Surathkal, Nettar was killed in Bellare while Masood was hacked to death by assailants in Sullia.

Masood (18) was murdered before Nettar’s killing and Fazil (23) was hacked to death in Surathkal in an alleged retaliatory attack.