Mangaluru: Former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, on Sunday, December 22, demanded Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa to suspend the Mangaluru police commissioner who ordered the police to open fire at the protesters, as well as the cops who executed the orders, within 24 hours.
He was addressing a press meet after having visited the kin of Jaleel Kanduka and Nausheen Kudroli, the two protesters who died in the police firing. “The police could have controlled the situation without resorting to firing at the protesters. Due to their hasty decision, two innocent people were killed and many were injured,” he said.
“The home minister (Basavaraj Bommai) is unfit to be an elected representative and should be suspended. The police commissioner who ordered to the firing should also be suspended. The two should be put behind the bars. Even though the police claim that the miscreants are from Kerala, none of the injured are from Kerala. During my tenure as the Chief Minister of Karnataka, not a single untoward incident occurred. I suspect that these incidents have been orchestrated by RSS supremo Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat,” he said.
Speaking about the purpose of his visit to the city, the former CM said, “I came here to find out the facts surrounding the Mangaluru violence. There was a clash between the police and protesters. The violence was not communal in nature. Around seven people were injured in the police firing, but these details were not revealed. Humanity is more important than the hidden agenda. The Chief Minister’s visit to the city was name sake. He did not listen to the grievances of the people.”
About the curfew imposed on the city, he said, “The prohibitory orders were clamped on the city hastily. Commissioner of Police Dr P S Harsha even asked former mayor Ashraf to convince the people not to protest. However, Ashraf was injured in the police firing. Nausheen was a welder by profession. Jaleel had come out during the protests only to see what was happening. They were shot dead by the police. But Yediyurappa did not hear the grievances of the victims’ family members. Even a student who came out just to apply for a scholarship was injured in the clash,” HDK informed the media.
Speaking about the videos showing the police barging into a hospital and kicking the doors, Kumaraswamy said that he suspects that they were actually RSS activists disguised as police personnel.
MLCs B M Farooq, S L Bhoje Gowda, JD(S) leaders Mohammed Kunhi, M B Sadashiva, Yogish Shetty, Akshith Suvarna and others were present.
