Bantwal: Kalladka calm, prohibitory orders till March 11
Mounesh Vishwakarma
Daijiworld Media Network – Bantwal (SP)
Bantwal, Mar 10: The senior police officers, who visited Kalladka relating to disturbances which occurred during the Congress convention there on Saturday March 8, enforced prohibitory orders in the area late in the night on Saturday. These orders, issued under section 144, will be in force till March 11.
It is widely believed that failure to take timely action on the part of deputy superintendent of police (DySP), Rashmi Paradi, and circle inspector Rajashekhar Mistry, who was on the spot when the incident occurred, had paved way for the occurrence of unsavoury incidents.
Additional police teams have been stationed in strategic points in the taluk. In view of the fact that the Uroos at Mittabail will be concluding on Sunday, tight vigil has been arranged. Rashmi Paradi has been personally supervising law and order situation, while Dakshina Kannada superintendent of police (SP), Dr Sharanappa, and Hassan SP, Ravi have been camping here to closely monitor the developments. In total, seven cases relating to untoward incidents linked to the above disturbances, have been filed in the police station.
During the violence that erupted on Saturday, five two-wheelers that were parked at the spot were damaged. A Qualis vehicle owned by Isubu from Mangila Padavu, which was parked in Kelagina Pete, was burnt down. Motorbikes belonging to Aithappa Naik, Chandu Naik, Pushparaj, and Ritesh, which were parked near a commercial complex in the town were torched. The two-wheeler belonging to Pushparaj, who had provided dais and Shamiyana for the above programme, was reduced to ashes.
On Saturday night, a banner and tubelight erected on the road relating to Mittabail Uroos, were damaged. Dhananjay and Kishore, who had visited a petrol pump in the town on Saturday midnight for buying fuel for their two-wheelers were assaulted by a gang. These two youth were going to Nemotsava in progress at Meramajalu. Both of them were treated as outpatients in Bantwal government hospital, before getting admitted into a private hospital in Mangalore. Stones were pelted at Sri Rama Vidya Kendra, as well as the residence of a teacher there.
Congress leader, Ivan D'Souza, and BJP MP, Nalin Kumar Kateel, individually met the injured youth and collected information from them.
Complaint against 28 persons including zilla panchayat member, Chennappa R Kotian, former taluk panchayat vice president, Dinesh, and Amtoor Anand Shetty, has been filed in connection with the incident. The police have registered first information report that has named 11 persons. Three persons, Guruvappa Netla, Poovappa Tailor Amtoor, and Keshava Netla, have been arrested.
Two separate complaints, one relating to stoning of Sri Rama School in Kalladka, and the other in connection with damaging of a commercial complex owned by former MLA, Rukmaya Poojary, have been filed. Both these incidents had occurred late night on Saturday.
Convener of Hindu Hitarakshana Samiti, Jitendra, speaking to press persons at B C Road on Sunday March 9 evening, accused the Congress of violating election code of conduct by conducting its convention at Kalladka on Saturday. He has urged the concerned to immediately arrest zilla panchayat member from Goltamajalu constituency and taking legal action against him, and charging him with being responsible for the group clashes that erupted here.
“Congress, which had convened this convention in the name of harmony, violated code of conduct by resorting character assassination. We strongly condemn the act of deriding leaders of Sangh Parivar and Hindu movement with slanderous words. We specifically condemn the personal attack launched against convener of Sri Rama Vidya Kendra, Dr Prabhakar Bhat, duly mentioning his name. We will be filing complaint with the Election Commission in this case. When the people, who registered their objection to the provocative tone of the address through the police, stones and bottles flew towards them from the direction of the dais. This was a pre-conceived act,” he alleged.
Kottary felt that it was the duty of senior party leaders at the dais to properly advice Chandraprakash Shetty, when he picked Dr Bhat by name for launching a verbal attack. He charged these leaders of instead, encouraging Shetty to continue with his tirade, through vigorous clapping. Saying that they have video records of the proceedings at the meeting, he said unrest in Kalladka was caused because of this act of Shetty. In the meantime, he requested the general public to cooperate in ensuring that the town remains peaceful.
He said that some innocent people like zilla panchayat member, Chennappa Kotian, taluk panchayat member, Dinesh Amtoor, and teacher, Radhakrishna Adyantaya, who were not in the town on that day, have been named in the complaint registered with the police. He said some innocent people have been arrested because of the behind-the-scene ploy of Congress party. He demanded compensation from the government for the loss of asserts of the people on this occasion.
Former member of Goltamajalu panchayat, Chandrashekhar Tailor, advocate, Prasad Kumar, BJP Bantwal constituency president, G Anand, vice president, Purusha N Salian, and Sadanand Navoor were present at the press conference.