Former minister C N Ashwath Narayan Gowda speaks to Bheema, whose shop was vandalised in the riot, in Nagamanagala.
Credit: DH Photo
Mysuru: The BJP fact-finding committee, that visited Badrikoppalu village and Nagamangala town, on Monday, regarding the recent riot during the procession of Ganesha idol immersion, said they would collect details of the entire procession and riot, right from the beginning of the procession and would procure all related CCTV camera footage and mobile phone videos of the incident.
The committee comprised former ministers C N Ashwath Narayan Gowda, Byrati Basavaraju and Narayana Gowda, president of Bengaluru Bar Association Vivek Subbareddy and former IPS officer Bhaskar Rao.
Ashwath said, there was a need for a comprehensive probe into the incident. “There seems to be the involvement of some invisible forces. The names of two Keralites have surfaced. Why did they come here? What is their role in the riot? Many questions need answers,” he said.
He said, the committee would prepare a report and submit it to the BJP, State government and Central government. “Even though the State is investigating the incident, they should accept our report. Our intention is to ensure that similar untoward incidents do not happen,” he said.
“Those affected in the riot should be adequately compensated. But, there is a need for a discussion, on who should bear the loss and compensate for it,” he said.
He also blamed the Congress government, saying it is involved in appeasement politics. “The Congress-led government is an utter failure. It is atrocious to ‘arrest’ the Ganesha idol. We are here to give a stern warning to the Congress government and tell the truth to the people. The issue will be discussed on the floor of the Assembly, in detail,” he said.
He said, the government instead of arresting the real culprits was targeting the Hindus. "The Congress’ revenge politics is evident. If the people of a particular community challenge us to face them during Eid Milad celebration, what message, does it send? For us to install Ganesha idol, there are hundreds of hurdles in the form of rules and restrictions. Can similar restrictions be imposed on Eid Milad?,” he added.
Vivek shared Ashwath's views, “Even local advocates accompanied us. There is a suspicion that PFI is involved in the incident. Why is the government not showing the kind of enthusiasm, shown in other incidents, in probing the Nagamangala riot?” he asked.