Pics: Spoorth Ullal

Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Jan 1: Former minister B Ramanath Rai, said that Joint Action Committee of Dakshina Kannada District Secular Parties has decided to hold protest demonstration against the recent violence in the city and firing by the police. He stated that this massive protest will be organized from 10 am to 4 pm on January 2 in front of the statue of Dr B R Ambedkar located in the compound of the town hall here. The protesters will be demanding judicial inquiry by a sitting high court judge into the said disturbance and firing incident, he stated.

He was addressing a press meet organized at a private hotel in the city on Tuesday December 31 under the aegis of the delegation of Dakshina Kannada District Secular Party organizations. "We demand strict action as per rules against police officers who resorted to caning and firing. The government should disburse compensation it had earlier announced to the families of two victims of the firing. It has to pay compensation to even injured people and innocents who have been arrested should be released immediately," he demanded.

He blamed discriminatory policies owned by the government in denying permission for protests against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) apart from unjustified promulgation of prohibitory orders for the violence. He mentioned that the police departments in the other districts had peacefully handled the protests whereas here, the police resorted to brute force and firing. "The number of protesters mentioned by city police commissioner Dr P S Harsha, false information about attempt to rob arms from the police, making public only select CCTV camera footages etc have given rise to serious doubts. The chief minister and home minister of the state have accused the opposition parties of playing a role in these disturbance. To bring out the truth, inquiry by a sitting high
court judge should be conducted," he demanded.

Former minister Abhayachandra Jain, CPM district secretary Vasant Achary, CPI district secretary V Kuckian, JD(S) district president Muhammed Kunhi, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee district secretary P V Mohan, and a number of other leaders were present.