Karnataka Minister Withdraws Rape Remarks After Chief Minister's Disapproval

The Home Minister's remarks that the gang-rape survivor and her male friend should not have gone to the deserted place evoked sharp reactions.

Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra on Thursday kicked up a row over his rape comments made in the context of a gangrape incident in Mysuru, that did not go down well with Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and opposition Congress, prompting him to withdraw his controversial statement. The Home Minister's remarks that the gang-rape survivor and her male friend should not have gone to the deserted place and his claims that the opposition Congress was trying to ''rape'' him by targetting him, following the incident, evoked sharp reactions from the opposition party, even as Mr Jnanendra accused it of trying to derive political mileage from the ''inhuman'' incident. Hitting out at the Home Minister and the ruling BJP, the Congress said they are "incapable" of protecting the people of the state. With the issue snowballing into a major controversy and the Chief Minister also disapproving of his comments, Mr Jnanendra withdrew his statement. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister said his government will form a special team to investigate the gang-rape case and asserted that the perpetrators will be caught soon and brought to justice. Mr Bommai also disapproved of the comments made by Jnanendra and said, "I just don't agree with the comments made by my Home Minister regarding the gang-rape incident. I have advised him to give a clarification."