Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (SP)

Udupi, May 6: State home minister, Dr V S Acharya, reiterated that the state government will not in any way, interfere with the investigations being undertaken into the complaint of rape lodged against minister, Haratal Halappa. “The opposition parties have been raising a din by trying to use this case for their advantage in the gram panchayat elections. Their efforts will go down the drain, and their malicious campaign will benefit the BJP,” he predicted.

He said that the government is confident that the criminal investigation department, to which the case has been entrusted, will succeed in bringing out the truth. “As this incident is nearly five months old, only a detailed investigation can prove the genuineness or otherwise of the complaint. At present, no need is felt to entrust the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). In the past, the case of Chittaranjan’s murder was handed over to CBI, but there was not much headway,” he added.

He noted that the policemen have conducted combing in the Ghat region and felt that the naxals are not left with the guts to disturb the gram panchayat elections. About the demolition of a house belonging to Gregory Patrao in Kalavar village near Mangalore by authorities, he felt that the officials should have given a couple of days for the family to move out its belongings.