BENGALURU: With the BJP playing politics over the death of Honnavar youth Paresh Mesta (21) and accusing the state government of covering up the issue, Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Wednesday said that the case will be handed over to the CBI.
Lashing out at the BJP for propagating false information about the death and giving it a communal colour, Mr Reddy said that BJP leaders were behaving like doctors and commenting on the things which would be known only after the postmortem report.
"The BJP wants unrest and is trying hard to keep the issue alive till the Assembly elections. Though the deceased was not attached to any political party as claimed by his father, the BJP is projecting him as its member to get political mileage. The mystery surrounding Paresh's death will only be known once the autopsy report comes," he told reporters at the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison.
Mr Reddy criticised the BJP for using the same tactics during IAS officer D.K. Ravi's death. He even accused then Primary and Secondary Education Minister Kimmane Rathnakar of changing the postmortem report to shield the culprits in connection with the death of 14-year-old Nandita. "The BJP is used to such tactics and its leaders don't value their words," he said.
Paresh's putrefied body was found in a lake in Honnavar in Uttara Kannada district on December 8. Soon after, rumours started doing the rounds that he was killed by people of another community as the tension between the communities had already gripped Honnavar. Rumours had it that Paresh was tortured to death, his body was mutilated and hot oil was poured on his face before he was thrown into the river.
Later, these allegations were found to be untrue, when Inspector General of Police (Western Range) Hemanth Nimbalkar released a detailed questionnaire answered by the doctor in charge of conducting the postmortem.
Action against website
Taking cognisance of a "false report" published by a Kannada news portal PostcardKannada.com on Honnavar unrest, Mr. Reddy said that he has asked the cyber crime police to look into both Honnavar issue and the derogatory comments made against two celebrated women fighters in the history of Karnataka, Kittur Rani Chennamma and Onake Obavva, on its Facebook pages.
