Pics: Spoorthi Ullal

Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Jun 6: The Congress-appointed fact-finding committee formed by the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) to study communal harmony and the restoration of peace in Dakshina Kannada (DK) district has completed its first phase of visits. The panel will submit an interim report to the state government and the party next week.

Addressing a press conference on Friday in Mangaluru, AICC general secretary Syed Naseer Hussain, who leads the panel, along with KPCC working president and MLC Manjunath Bhandary, KPCC vice-president V R Sudarshan, and leaders Kimmane Ratnakar and Jayaprakash Hegde, shared details of their interactions and findings.

“We have met Congress leaders from Dakshina Kannada, police and revenue officials, leaders from various communities and religious institutions, business associations, and the general public. Everyone expressed their desire for peace to prevail in the region,” they said.

The team has postponed its scheduled visit to Udupi and Uttara Kannada districts, which was earlier planned for June 9 and 10. “We will meet the chief minister, deputy chief minister, and ministers for home and law to present our findings from this first phase. Based on the discussions, we will decide whether the next phase of the visit should be at the district or taluk level,” the committee stated.

The committee also mentioned that their report will focus on preventing incidents such as murder and communal violence, and on promoting peace, harmony, and development. “We will analyse what led to the deterioration of communal harmony in the region—whether it was due to administrative failure or other factors—and suggest corrective measures. We will also highlight what organizational changes the Congress party needs to make to uphold constitutional values. KPCC will make this report public,” they said.

They further noted that only about 2% of individuals are directly involved in instigating violence, while around 8% seek political gain from such disturbances. “The remaining 90% of the population has no role in these incidents. However, communal killings are hampering the district's development,” the panel observed.

MLC Ivan D’Souza and Congress leaders Padmaraj R Poojary, Rakshith Shivaram, and Satyaprakash were also present at the press meet.