Silvester D'Souza
Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (RJP)
Kundapur, Jan 22: Gopal Poojary, MLA of Byndoor and Shobha Karandlaje, MP of Udupi-Chikkamagaluru on Thursday January 22 visited Gangolli where bandh was observed on Wednesday January 21 after miscreants set fire to a shop on Tuesday.
Addressing reporters at Trasi, Gopal Poojary said, "The whole town of Gangolli has been affected because of some miscreants resorting to bad deeds. Police should take stern action against them. There is no point in promising action. Politics should not be played here."
Earlier Poojary visited the affected place. He also viewed the CCTV images of the miscreants setting fire and asked the victims not to lose courage.
"This is an attempt to disrupt peace. I condemn the act. I have I discussed the matter with the superintendent of police. The culprits, no matter which community they belong to, should be punished," he said.
He instructed the tahsildar by phone to send the report of the loss sustained in the fire.
He also said that Gangolli has become communally sensitive now and that he has put a proposal for the shifting of Trasi police station to Gangolli for which the minister concerned has agreed.
He asked the people to maintain peace and promised that a peace committee will be formed with prominent local people.
On a query whether there was any lapse on the part of the police, he said they are working efficiently.
KPCC general secretary M A Gafoor said, "Gangolli is being targeted again and again. This should be stopped and strict action should be taken against the persons who engage in disrupting peace."
Zilla panchayat vice-president Raju Devadiga, rural Congress president Durgaraja Poojary, Gangolli fishing cooperative society president Nagaraja Kharvi were present during the press meet.
Attempts being made to divert attention from Bhatkal: Shobha
Shobha Karandlaje too visited the affected place on Thursday. She viewed the CCTV videos and consoled the affected.
Venkatesh Shenoy whose shop was the target of the fire by the miscreants, demanded that justice be done by mounting pressure on the state government.
Shobha said that the act was a planned, deliberate attempt to disrupt peace and hence strict measures are needed to contain the same.
Shobha also said that former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa has demanded action against the culprits.
Shobha spoke to reporters in Hemmady in a hotel later. "There is a planned strategy behind the Gangolli incident. As anti-social elements were being arrested in Bhatkal, attempts are being made in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada district to divert the attention from the matter. There seems to some connection between the suspect terrorists of Bhatkal and Gangolli case. There have been more communal tensions during Congress rule. An accused in Gangolli unrest is trying to get away in a dramatic manner," Shobha alleged.
"The state government is not serious. The chief minister and the home minister have not taken the intelligence seriously in the Bengaluru bomb case. Instead of punishing persons from Hindu organizations, they should destroy the anti-national elements. They should investigate more on the relationship between terrorism and the religious unrest in the undivided Dakshina Kannada district," she added.
Thingale Vikramarjuna Hegde, B M Sukumar Shetty, Gururaj Gantihole, Sadananda Uppinakudru, Geetanjali Suvarna were present during the press conference.