Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (JD)
Mangaluru, Apr 9: Youth Congress leader Mithun Rai on Saturday April 9 lashed out at BJP and Sangh Parivar over the recent murder of RTI activist Vinayak Baliga and alleged that BJP leaders were 'directly involved' in the crime.
Addressing a press meet at the district Congress office here, Mithun Rai said, "In the last four or five months, two major murders have taken place in the district - those of Harish Poojary and Vinayak Baliga. In both the cases, the murderers were Hindus, the victims were also Hindus, and even the ones who plotted the murders were also Hindus. However, if anyone from the minority community had given the contract to kill Harish Poojary and Vinayak Baliga, then the BJP and Sangh Parivar would have created communal riots in the district.
"In both these murders, the arrested are Bajrang Dal activists, and therefore, the leaders of BJP are directly involved in these murders," he alleged.
"When any murder takes place, BJP leaders announce compensation even if the victim has criminal background. But I question them through the media - Why are they not announcing any compensation for Baliga's family?
"Vinayak Baliga was murdered mainly because he had filed more than 99 cases against Yuva Brigade leader Naresh Shenoy, VHP and other right-wing leaders through RTI. If there is no involvement of Naresh Shenoy in the murder, why did he have to go absconding? Even his driver Vignesh is directly involved in the murder along with office-bearer of Bajrang Dal Srikanth. NaMo Brigade (now Yuva Brigade) is one of the wings of BJP, so I question the leaders of BJP as to why they are showing such hypocrisy in these cases?" he said.
"I suspect that along with Baliga's murder, Naresh Shenoy is involved in several other cases too. The Youth Congress has already spoken to the police commissioner and urged him to investigate all the cases related to him.
"There is a Facebook page that has Naresh Shenoy's voice. Through this page, the BJP leaders are trying to support him and create sympathy for him. Just as a person who lets murderers use his car for the crime is also made an accused, persons supporting Naresh Shenoy, in spite of lookout notice being issued against him, should also be accused in the case," he charged.
He further said, "MLC Ivan D'Souza has already written to chief minister Siddaramaiah to give a compensation of Rs 5 lac to Baliga's family. He will announce this soon."
Press secretary of Congress Nazeer Bajal, office-bearers Santosh Shetty, Deepak Poojary, Chetan and others were present.