Bengaluru: Describing the escalating communal tension in parts Dakshina Kannada (DK) district as disturbing, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday came down heavily on IGP (Western Range) and area superintendent of police for the failure of law and order in the region.
Mr Siddaramaiah questioned IGP (Western Range) P. Harishekaran and SP C. H. Sudheer Kumar Reddy on what stopped them from taking preventive measures when they saw communal tension escalating and communal clashes occurring frequently, a police source told Deccan Chronicle.
"It's been 45 days since the Dakshina Kannada region is on the boil. What have you done to bring it back to normal? What measure did you take to prevent clashes? How many times have you and your senior officers visited the affected spots? You believed everything would be normal sitting in the comforts of your office," Mr Siddaramaiah reportedly asked the officers at a review meeting with senior police officers of DGP, IGP and ADGP ranks.
Mr Siddaramaiah further directed the police to book "communal goons" under the Karnataka Control of Organised Crime Act (KCOCA) and banish them from the district if necessary. He also asked the police to monitor the movement of habitual offenders.
"Communal goons, be it from RSS, PFI, Ram Sene, SDPI or Bajrang Dal, no one should be spared. To bring in normalcy in the region, crack down on the communal forces, who are deploying these communal goons to stoke tension," he told the officers.
He said that as the Assembly election is nearing, some political parties are trying to take political advantage of the situation and arouse communal passions among the people. "It is the story of all states," he reportedly said.
‘Hold peace meets immediately’
Mr Siddaramaiah directed state police chief R.K. Dutta and senior police officers of Dakshina Kannada district to hold peace meetings in the affected areas to bring the region back to normal.
‘DK was peaceful’
While maintaining that the state government was pained at the disturbed law and order situation in Dakshina Kannada, Mr Siddaramaiah said that the region earlier was known for its peace and communal harmony. But communal forces are turning the land into a testing ground to realise their communal agenda, he said.
