Acharya Directs SPs not to Arrest Innoncent People
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bangalore, Mar 8: With Shimoga, Hassan and Chikmagalur districts caught in mob violence and communal clashes last week, resulting in the death of two persons due to stabbing and police firing and also injuries to scores of others, following the publication of a translated article written by controversial Bangladeshi Muslim woman writer Taslima Nazreen in a leading Kannada daily, slowly limping back to normalcy, Karnataka Home Minister Dr V S Acharya has disclosed that he has directed the Superintendents of Police not to arrest innocent people.
``Our first priority is restoration of peace and normalcy. We are keen ensure that nothing is done to impede the process of maintaining law and order and restoration of normalcy,” Dr Acharya told the state legislative assembly on Monday.
The Home Minister said the police in the three affected districts had arrested the people found indulging in stone pelting, arson and looting based on the video records to bring normalcy and instill confidence in the people.
He lauded the measures taken up by the police to maintain law and order and said: ``Normalcy is fast returning in Shimoga, Chikmagalur and Hassan cities. We cannot allow anti-social elements to hold create a fear psychosis among the people through mindless violence.’’
Dr Acharya said he had spoken to SPs of three districts and directed them to not to detain innocent people in connection with the violence in three cities. The investigation process can be taken up and pursued with sufficient vigour without inconveniencing the ordinary people, he said.
The JD(S) leader and former minister H D Revanna, who raised the issue of large-scale arrests by the police, said that the police had detained innocent people and students in Hassan district and sought a clarification from the Home Minister.
Leader of the Opposition, Siddaramaiah alleged that the police have arrested innocent students during the examination time. The Government should take steps to release of students to enable them to appear for college examinations.
The Congress leader said the police have clamped ban order in Shimoga in the evenings which caused inconvenience to Muslims to attend prayer meetings in mosques. Instead of restricting the movement of people, the government should take steps to deploy sufficient number of policemen in the sensitive areas to ensure proper vigil and allow people to go about their routine life and business, he said.
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