Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi

Udupi, Aug 17: The district BJP was left red-faced after a banner used by the party in its protest unwittingly stated that PFI was involved in the murder of 'Prashant Madivala'.

Apparently, the BJP district leaders, or more likely, the one who made the banner, seemed to have mixed up Prashant Poojary and Sharath Madivala, both right-wing activists who were murdered at different places in different years.

When media persons who were at the spot pointed this error to the BJP district leaders towards the end of the protest, they kept the banner aside, rather embarassed at the blooper, but did not make any comments.

During the protest held outside the DC's office here, the BJP demanded ban on PFI and KFD organizations for their alleged involvement in the murders of right-wing activists, especially in the recent RSS worker Sharath Madivala's murder.

Addressing the protest, district BJP president Mattaru Ratnakar Hegde, "From the past two years Hindu activists are being murdered by PFI and KFD. They are directly involved in these murders. Their office-bearers have been taking law into their hands and committing attacks and murders.

"They are widespread in states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Goa, and now in Karnataka too they are carrying out attacks with the intention to provoke communal riots," he said.

Giving a list of right-wing activists who have been murdered or attacked since 2011, he said, "PFI and KFD were also involved in the riots that took place in Shivamogga, and also in the murders of Raju in Mysuru and Bengaluru's Rudresh, and now of Sharath Madivala in Bantwal. PFI leader from Chamarajanagar Khaleelulla and Abdul Shafi of Bantwal, who is also a part of PFI, have been arrested in Sharath Madivala case.

"When Raju was murdered in Mysuru, there was talk of banning the PFI, but no action has been taken so far," he said.

Besides ban on PFI and KFD, the BJP demanded that the government freeze the bank accounts of these outfits and also seize their movable and immovable assets. They also demanded that all cases of murders of right-wing activists since 2008 be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), and that Dakshina Kannada district in-charge minister Ramanath Rai be sacked from the cabinet.

After the protest, they handed over a memorandum with the above demands to the ADC.

Former MLA Raghupati Bhat, Yuva Morcha leader Shreesha Nayak, district secretary Suresh Nayak and others were present.