Former Mangaluru Police Commissioner, ex-SP of Dakshina Kannada failed to take effective action against hate-mongers, says Speaker U. T. Khader

Failed to take effective action against hate-mongers, says Karnataka Assembly Speaker U. T. Khader

Failure on the part of former Mangaluru Police Commissioner Anupam Agrawal and Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police N. Yathish in taking effective action against those who made hate speeches and those who posted hate content on social media following the murder of former Bajrang Dal activist Suhas Shetty led to deterioration in the law and order situation and the murder of sand transporter Abdul Rahiman, said Legislative Assembly Speaker and Mangaluru MLA U.T. Khader.

“The new police chiefs (C. H. Sudheer Kumar Reddy for Mangaluru and K. Arun for Dakshina Kannada) are taking effective action and issues, which resulted from the spread of hate contents, have been addressed to about 90%. It makes me wonder why earlier officials failed to act effectively (against hate-mongers),” Mr. Khader told reporters in Mangaluru on June 12.

Mr. Khader said he is pained over the mob lynching of 38-year-old rag-picker Ashraf on April 27, which was followed by the murder of Suhas Shetty on May 1 and Abdul Rahiman’s murder on May 27. All the accused in the three incidents should be ostracised and they should undergo harsh imprisonment, he said.

The Speaker, who returned to Mangaluru from Haj pilgrimage on June 11, said, before leaving for the Haj, he had asked the earlier officials — Mr. Agrawal and Mr. Yathish — to trace hate-mongers sitting abroad. “But they had expressed their helplessness in taking action against them.”

Referring to the effective way in which the newly-posted officials are acting against hate-mongers, Mr. Khader expressed the need to put in place a standard operating procedure by which there will be uniformity in the way officials act against hate-mongers. “I will write to Home Minister (G. Parameshwara) in this regard. I will also ask him to find reasons why earlier officials failed to act effectively against hate-mongers.”

The mob lynching and two murders have hit the harmonious culture and lifestyle of Dakshina Kannada. Not just the government, but all should contribute to restore peace and harmony in the district, Mr. Khader said.