Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (JD/SP)

Udupi, Dec 8: Addressing a press conference in the city on Friday December 8, Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP, Shobha Karandlaje, accused the police of failing to initiate any action against the forces involved with communal violence at Honnavar. "Our party member, Suraj Vinayak, had personally complained to the superintendent of police about the damage inflicted to his car, but the police ignored his complaint. Jihadis also damaged Shanishwara temple at Honnavar. They even threw footwear into the temple premises," she said.

Shobha said that the police, instead of arresting the Jihadis who damaged the temple, took into custody people of Hindu organizations who went there to protect the temple from attackers. She said that after the Eid Milad festival, incidents of communal violence have increased in Honnavar since the last three to four days. "Day before yesterday, our activist,Praresh Mesta, was kidnapped. Although the polcie knew about it, they failed to take any action to search for him because of yesterday's visit of the chief minister to Uttara Kannada district," she claimed.

The MP condemned chief minister, Siddaramaiah, for laying foundation stones for 52 development works in the district on Thursday, although he knew about the murder of Paresh Mesta by Jihadi Mulims. "He did not take any interest in ordering thorough investigation in the case. Same thing had happened in the case of Sharath Madivala murder case at Bantwal and the chief minister had taken part in Congress rally at Mangaluru on that occasion," she said.

She charged Siddaramaiah of visiting the districts wherever Hindu activists are killed. She blamed him for closing cases and ordering arrest of Hindu activists, and failing to take any action against those who kill Hindu activists, damage pubic property, or temples.

She charged the chief minister of trying to close the case of Paresh Mesta murder. She said that because Siddaramaiah knew about the murder,a large number of police personnel had been deployed to manage the situation. "If the chief minister of a state can act like this, who will protect the citizens of a state?" she wondered.