Bengaluru, Jan 18 (IANS): Senior BJP leader Basavraj Bommai on Thursday said party's Karnataka unit will hold a protest rally in front of the SP office in Haveri district on Saturday (January 20), seeking a SIT probe into the Hangal gangrape case.

Talking to reporters here, Bommai said the protest rally would be attended by Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly R. Ashoka, state and district leaders of the party.

Bommai said: "Haveri cops had attempted to hush up the case. The state home minister and the Haveri SP were not ready to admit it. But now the Hangal police personnel had been kept suspended."

"Suspension clearly indicates the dereliction of duty. The Hangal cops have acted against rules. The victim had been denied a proper medical treatment. The Chief Minsiter has been negligent in this incident. In the wake of this, the BJP has planned a mammoth protest in front of the Haveri SP office on January 20. Denying the SIT probe shows the government's support to the accused," Bommai said.

On BJP's demand, state Home Minister G. Parameshwara said, "We can't rule the state if we keep fulfilling the BJP's demands.”

On January 8, the victim woman, a homemaker, was allegedly dragged out of a hotel after being seen with a person from another community and beaten up.

The victim, who belongs to the minority community, said that when she was at the hotel, a group of five to six men barged inside her room, took her to an isolated place, assaulted her brutally and later, all of them gangraped her.