Bengaluru, Nov 15 (IANS): The Karnataka leader of opposition, Siddaramaiah, on Saturday countered the ruling BJP by asking what the state police were doing when former Mayor R. Sampath Raj went missing from the hospital they were keeping a watch on.

Speaking to reporters after commemorating Children's Day here, Siddaramaiah said why the ruling party is questioning the Congress about Sampat Raj going missing from the hospital?

"Ruling BJP leaders must realise that the Congress is not in power in the state, it is them who are in power. The Home minister of this state is from the BJP and the Chief Minister too is from the BJP. If the BJP leaders have any questions, they must ask the CM and the Home minister, and not us," he said.

Sampath Raj

Siddaramaiah further added that the ruling party should at least be aware that the police are under its control as is the whole state machinery. "When the BJP is in control, why should the Congress respond to such questions," he told reporters.

Karnataka BJP often targets Congress leaders on various social media platforms asking them to clarify about the whereabouts of former Mayor Sampath Raj, who has been named by the police in the August 11 Bengaluru riots case.

The riots were allegedly fomented after Pulikeshinagar Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy's nephew Naveen Kumar allegedly posted an insidious post on his facebook timeline. When the mob gathered to seek the arrest of Naveen, the K.J. Halli and D.J. Halli police reportedly dillydallied over his arrest. As a result, an enraged mob went on arson and looting. In this incident, Murthy's house was burnt to ashes.

When the mob went out of control, the police opened fire in which four people were killed and at present more than 300 persons have been arrested in this connection.

Sampath Raj was named in the 400-page chargesheet submitted by the city police. He got admitted to a hospital complaining Covid-19 like symptoms, and from there he absconded on September 7. The police have formed special temas to track him, but so far they have remained unsuccessful.