Bengaluru, Feb 21 (IANS): Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday issued an order withdrawing police cases against 112 BJP leaders and Hindu activists, including Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri that were lodged in 2017 by the then Congress government.

The Siddaramaiah-led Congress government had lodged the cases against Kageri, who was an MLA then, and the BJP leaders and Bajrang Dal activists following the communal violence and large-scale protests. The development was triggered by the death of local Hindu youth Paresh Mestha in 2017.

Paresh Mestha

The government had taken back 26 cases in this connection earlier. Speaker Kageri had thanked the government for the decision.

Paresh Mesta, who went missing on December 6, 2017 during the communal clashes in Honnavar town, was found dead near Shettikere Lake after two days.

Ruling BJP and Hindu activists alleged that Paresh was killed in the mob violence and killers dumped the body later. The issue was projected as a major issue during the 2018 Assembly elections. The BJP party, which was in the opposition then, had launched a full-fledged agitation against the ruling Congress then. The Congress government suffered a setback due to the agitation in the Assembly elections of 2018.

The Hindu activists, while demanding the arrest of killers of Paresh, had torched the vehicle of the IGP. The police were pelted with stones and many policemen were injured.

Including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, many political leaders had visited Paresh's house. The Congress government headed by Siddaramaiah had handed over the case to the CBI.

However, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had filed a B-report in the Paresh Mesta case. The father of Paresh Mesta has asked for reinvestigation of the case and filed objections to the B-report (closure report) filed by the CBI.