Bengaluru violence: Only real culprits should be caught, says Siddaramaiah

The former Karnataka chief minister alleged that several arrests have made in the case without evidence. “Police should gather evidence and pursue the case. Release those people against whom there is no evidence. Innocents should not be framed and at the same time real culprits should not be let off,” Siddaramaiah said.

#BengaluruViolence: “Innocents should not be framed and arrests should not be made without evidence for orchestrating violence in #DJHalli. Real culprits should not be let off,” #Karnataka Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah urges State govt. @IndianExpress pic.twitter.com/XkShOz7DEs

— Ralph Alex Arakal (@ralpharakal) September 2, 2020

The senior Congress leader’s demand comes in the wake of several residents of the areas raising allegations that the police teams barged into their houses and “randomly picked up” youngsters within a week after the incident took place.

After his visit to Devarajeevanahalli (DJ Halli) police station and Pulkeshinagar MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy’s residence in Kaval Byrasandra, Siddaramaiah said the incident could have been averted “had the police taken swift action against Naveen,” — the person who allegedly uploaded the derogatory post.

An hour after he concluded his visit, Siddaramaiah tweeted, “I condemn the act of violence and all those who were involved in the violence should be punished.” (Express photo)

Explaining his late visit to the spots in DJ Halli and Kadugodanahalli (KG Halli) police station limits — three weeks after the incident took place — Siddaramaiah added: “I was undergoing treatment for Covid-19 when DJ Halli incident happened and I have come now to visit the spot after completing quarantine norms.”

Also Read | Bengaluru violence: SIT formed, CM Yediyurappa says cost of damage to be recovered from culprits

An hour after he concluded his visit, Siddaramaiah tweeted, “I condemn the act of violence and all those who were involved in the violence should be punished.”

Meanwhile, officers from the Central Crime Branch (CCB) of the Bengaluru City Police Tuesday conducted searches at three offices of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) in connection with the Bengaluru violence. According to the police, three separate teams were formed to carry out the searches in SDPI offices in various parts of the city. Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sandeep Patil said the searches took place only after obtaining a search warrant from the court.

Earlier, the Karnataka Cabinet had discussed the possibility of banning “certain organisations” sans a decision on the same, a week after the incident took place.

Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai had then said that CM B S Yediyurappa will discuss the matter with the Centre. “The Cabinet appreciated the government’s decision to recover the cost of damages caused during the rioting from those who took part in the violence itself. With regard to deciding whether to ban SDPI, the CM has said that he will discuss the matter with the Centre,” Bommai had said.