BJP dropped cases against communalists, rowdy sheeters: DK Shivakumar

Maqsood Maniyar | NT

Bengaluru: Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Wednesday hit back against the BJP for criticizing his letter to Home Minister G Parameshwara demanding that cases pertaining to the Hubballi riots in 2021 be dropped.

An irate Shivakumar pointed out that the saffron party also dropped scores of cases, mostly against “communal elements".

The Deputy CM went so far as to claim that thousands of rowdy sheeters had been dropped from the list by then CM Basavaraj Bommai and former home minister Araga Jnanendra.

“They think people don’t know what has happened under the rule of the BJP. People have placed them where they should be. We have the list of people who requested cases be dropped under the BJP government.

"Several people including Basavaraja Bommai, Araga Jnanendra and Madhuswamy (then law minister) made these requests. In the months of January and February 2023 alone, they dropped 7,361 rowdy sheeters from the list. They are now giving us wisdom,” Shivakumar ridiculed.

“The previous BJP government has dropped thousands of communalism-related cases. They have also released thousands of rowdy sheeters onto the streets,” he added, sarcastically pointing out that the BJP, the principal opposition party in the state, was yet to name people to the posts of the Leader of the Opposition (LOP) in the Assembly and the Council.

On Tuesday, Parameshwara had clarified that merely a request from the Deputy CM wasn’t enough for the cases to be dropped, adding that the request would be placed before a Cabinet sub-committee and the Home Department before a call is taken on the same.

Stones were pelted at police station

The case being referred to by Shivakumar was that of stone pelting by youths that took place back in April 2022.

The incident took place when someone from a particular community posted a WhatsApp status derogatory to a religious figure belonging to a minority group.

Despite the police arresting the culprit, stones were pelted at the Old Hubballi Police Station. Scores of youths were arrested. Some claim, many of the youths arrested weren’t connected to the incident.

Saffron Party did the same when in power

According to reports in the Indian Express, the previous BJP State government dropped 385 criminal cases by way of seven Government Orders (GOs).

Nearly half of the cases had been pertaining to cow vigilantism, hate speech and communal violence.

The accused who got away included BJP MP from Mysuru-Kodagu Pratap Simha, Hindu Jagarana Vedike member Jagadish Karanth and other Hindutva ideologues and vigilantes.