Mangaluru: As many as 142 cases including infamous Ulaibettu communal violence and Karai communal violence cases have been withdrawn on the directions of the government.
It was revealed through an information obtained under RTI Act. All the 142 cases are related to rioting, assault on police officials, attempt to murder and molestation. It is alleged that state government has taken the decision of withdrawing the cases only to lure voters.
As per the direction of the government, cases pending in sessions and JMFC courts have already been withdrawn in a phased manner, between October 2018 and January 2019.
Thus, some of the prominent accused like MLA of Bhadravathy ( case related to an assault on returning officer in APMC elections, April 25, 2011) and KPCC Kissan Khet Mazdoor Congress state President Sachin Meega ( case registered on October 6, 2016) have been exonerated.
The biggest beneficiaries of government’s magnanimous decision are those accused in the infamous Ulaibettu ( December 5, 2015) and Karai communal violence ( after Puttur Hindu Samajotsava, January 16, 2015) in Dakshina Kannada district. The others are farmers who had set KSRTC buses on fire and vandalised Mini Vidhan Soudha, which caused Rs 50 lakh loss, during Kalasa-Bhanduri agitation in Gadag district (August 24, 2015), leaders from Kuruba and Balija communities (accused of attempting to murder police officials during Yoginarayana Yathindra Jayantotsava on October 4, 2015) in Tumkur district, agitators involved in the violence triggered during the cremation of Sub Inspector Mallikarjuna Bande (January 8, 2014) and dropping of Qamarul Islam from Cabinet (June 25, 2016) and farmers involved in the rampage against NTPC’s (National Thermal Power Corporation) 4000 MW thermal power plant in Vijayapura district.
However, it is said that the prosecutors in the action had disapproved the government’s decision to withdraw the cases saying that it would send a negative message to the society. Hence, they reportedly have written a letter to the Director of Prosecutions and Home department and expressed their displeasure over the government’s move.
