Latest news with #HMParameshwara
Hans India
a day ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Communal strife: K'taka govt inaugurates Special Action Force unit in Mangaluru
Mangaluru (Karnataka): The Karnataka government has officially inaugurated a Special Action Force (SAF) unit, the Communal Violence Control Force, in Mangaluru, aimed at preventing communal strife and serial revenge killings in coastal Karnataka and Malnad (hilly) regions of the state, thereby ensuring law and order. State Home Minister G. Parameshwara inaugurated the unit on Friday at the District Police Parade Ground in Mangaluru. Several dignitaries and police officers attended the event. The Congress-led government created this special force following incidents of revenge killings, mob lynching, and a series of stabbing incidents in the Mangaluru region. These crimes threatened the law and order system in the communally sensitive Mangaluru district. The entire coastal region had become tense, and these incidents threatened to disrupt peace in the state. Speaking after inaugurating the Special Action Force, HM Parameshwara stated that the SAF is necessary in Mangaluru, Udupi, and Shivamogga districts. HM Parameshwara acknowledged that many might criticise this task force but emphasised that peace in Mangaluru district would translate into peace across the entire state. He urged the people of the district to cooperate with the work of this task force and also mentioned that, if necessary, this task force would be established across the entire state. This unit has been formed with the objective of conducting rapid operations in communally sensitive areas. A total of 248 police personnel have been deployed in this unit, and the team will be divided into three companies. Speaker U.T. Khader, who represents the Ullal Assembly seat in Mangaluru, District In-charge Minister of Mangaluru, Dinesh Gundu Rao, who also serves as the Health Minister, and other dignitaries were present. The Congress-led government in Karnataka has decided to launch the Communal Violence Control Force -- a specialised unit -- in a bid to curb and control communal strife resulting in a series of revenge killings in the state's Mangaluru, Udupi and Shivamogga districts. The government has also announced that the personnel serving in the Anti-Naxal Force (ANF) will be reassigned to the Communal Violence Control Force. The government order released on May 29 in this regard states, among the total available total 648 posts in the ANF, 248 officers and staff are shortlisted to establish the SAF. The order states: "The new SAF will have three companies and they will be established in Udupi, Shivamogga and Mangaluru districts. The functions and responsibilities of this force include establishing an Intelligence unit with a technical cell to monitor and collect information from the media, social media, and Intelligence sources regarding hate speech, provocative incidents, and communal-related activities. 'To create an alert system for potential communal violence through surveillance and human Intelligence; to undertake confidence-building measures through effective outreach and influence; to implement measures to identify and monitor radicalisation." The IGP of the zone will take the necessary steps to deploy Special Task Force officers/personnel during instances of communal riots, it says.
Hans India
05-06-2025
- Sport
- Hans India
Bengaluru stampede: RCB, cricket association organised celebration, not govt, says K'taka HM
Bengaluru: Commenting on the stampede that claimed 11 lives in Bengaluru on Wednesday during the victory celebrations of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) team for lifting the IPL trophy after 18 years, Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara said on Thursday that it was not the government that wanted to bring the players for the victory celebrations to Bengaluru. Addressing the media in Bengaluru on Thursday, HM Parameshwara claimed, while answering a question, 'We did not make any request to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchise or the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) in this regard, and they had organised the victory celebration event.' 'The government also felt that it should felicitate the players and be a part of the celebration because it was a Bengaluru team. That's all,' Parameshwara stated. "The KSCA and the RCB brought the team to Bengaluru for celebrations. All aspects will be enquired into, and once the information is available, all questions will be answered," he further added. 'Fortunately, nothing happened at Vidhana Soudha. This incident is unfortunate, and I feel very sorry about it. Eleven innocent lives have been lost. I pray to the Almighty to give strength to the families to bear the loss, and the government is also with them,' HM Parameshwara maintained. He further underlined that until the enquiry report is submitted, he cannot say anything about the tragedy. "If any lapses are found, strict action will be taken against those responsible, regardless of who they are," he stated. HM Parameshwara stated that deaths should not occur in this fashion. "Innocents should not lose their lives. It's disheartening to see their dead bodies. Many of the deceased were between 20 and 25-years-old. They had come to celebrate the victory with all their joy. I did not expect them to lose their lives. We will identify the lapses and initiate strict measures,' he assured. HM Parameshwara stated that there were a total of 11 deaths in the tragedy so far and 56 people were injured. Among the injured, 46 people have returned to their homes after treatment. The remaining 10 are being treated at hospitals. As per the doctors, their condition is stable. 'To prevent such incidents, the government and the Home Department will formulate a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). In the future, directions will be issued to organise major events, conventions, and celebrations as per the guidelines issued by the police department,' HM Parameshwara maintained. The Chief Minister has ordered a magisterial enquiry by the Deputy Commissioner, Bengaluru Urban district, and until the probe report comes, "we will not be able to say anything." Compensations have been announced and the government is providing Rs 10 lakh, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) is providing Rs 5 lakh compensation, and the process is ongoing, he stated. 'I am visiting the spot. I will discuss the tragedy with authorities and KSCA officers, and their point of view will also be taken. There are a lot of questions regarding the incident. Let the enquiry take place first. The report will definitely point out lapses, and whoever is responsible, action will be taken,' he stated. Meanwhile, the Karnataka Police have registered Unnatural Death Cases (UDR) regarding the incident involving the deaths of 11 people during the stampede. The Cubbon Park police have registered 11 UDR cases, and no FIR has been registered in connection with the development, sources confirmed. This move has led to outrage, as the police department had the option to book the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) and the influential event management company. Sources further confirmed that no one has, so far, come forward to take the responsibility. The UDR cases were taken up as per the directions of senior officers, sources revealed.
Hans India
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
K'taka cops arrest 8 in Hindu activist's murder case; Anti-Communal Task Force to be formed
Mangaluru (Karnataka): Karnataka Police have arrested eight people in connection with the murder of Hindu activist Suhas Shetty, which occurred in the communally-sensitive city of Mangaluru. In a significant move to prevent further communal violence in the region, the Karnataka government has decided to form an Anti-Communal Task Force. Minister for Home, G. Parameshwara, while addressing a joint press conference on Saturday alongside senior police officers and Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao — who is also the district incharge minister for Mangaluru — announced that the eight accused in the Suhas Shetty murder case have been arrested. HM Parameshwara stated, 'The police department will provide more detailed information regarding the arrests. To prevent incidents of communal violence, an Anti-Communal Task Force will be set up to operate in the Mangaluru and Udupi districts.' 'The task force, which will be headed by an officer of Inspector General (IG) rank, will work to prevent communal violence in the coastal region and will begin functioning within two weeks. It will operate in coordination with the police department,' he added. When asked about the arrest of two Hindu individuals in the Suhas Shetty murder case, Parameshwara declined to comment. He further emphasised that strict action would be taken against those making provocative statements. Referring to the recent mob lynching case in Mangaluru, where a man was allegedly attacked for chanting "Pakistan Zindabad," HM Parameshwara said, 'In connection with the murder of Kerala resident Mohammad Ashraf, the police have arrested 21 individuals. Action will be taken against the guilty. We will not allow anyone — regardless of religion — to break the law.' He reiterated that such incidents must not recur in the region. 'I will not allow the law and order situation in the district to deteriorate,' he warned. The police had formed five special teams to apprehend the killers. All the accused are being interrogated, and they were arrested from various locations within Mangaluru district. Investigators have obtained video footage of the incident, which helped in identifying and apprehending the suspects, sources said. The Leader of the Opposition (LoP), R. Ashoka, alleged that a week before the murder, Suhas Shetty was warned by police not to carry weapons in his vehicle, and his vehicle was searched. 'How did this message reach the killers? If he had a weapon, he might have survived. The murder took place within half a kilometre of a police presence, yet no officer rushed to the spot,' Ashoka stated. 'A week before, the killers had put up a message saying Suhas Shetty will be finished. After the murder they had put up another message celebrating the murder,' he said. Union Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje and Mangaluru BJP MP Captain Brijesh Chowta have appealed to Union Home Minister Amit Shah to transfer the case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). BJP State President B.Y. Vijayendra has announced a compensation of Rs 25 lakh for Suhas Shetty's family. BJP MLC C.T. Ravi and other party leaders warned that if police fail to act, revenge killings will continue in Mangaluru. 'There is no one who has the mindset to let Suhas' murderers go free,' Ravi said. Multiple stabbing incidents have been reported from the Mangaluru and Udupi districts in the coastal Karnataka region following Shetty's murder, and the situation remains tense and volatile. According to the investigation, the accused first rammed a goods vehicle into the car in which Suhas Shetty was travelling. Then, a gang of assailants, who were following in a Swift car, emerged with weapons and brutally hacked him to death. LoP R. Ashoka alleged that members of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) and the Karnataka Forum for Dignity were responsible for Shetty's murder. Suhas Shetty was a Bajrang Dal activist and the prime accused in the murder of Mohammad Fazil, a resident of Surathkal. Shetty and his associates allegedly killed Fazil in a public place on July 28, 2022, in retaliation for the murder of BJP youth worker Praveen Kumar Nettaru. Nettaru, a BJP activist from the same communally sensitive region, was hacked to death during the height of the 'hijab' row. His murder had triggered a series of revenge killings and multiple stabbing incidents across Karnataka. Mangaluru also recently witnessed the mob lynching of a man from Kerala, identified as Mohammad Ashraf, who was allegedly heard shouting 'Pakistan Zindabad' during a cricket tournament.
