Karnataka government, opposition lock horns over externment order

THe BJP and the regime ar locked in a political tussle o'er the proposed externment of some prominent right-wing leaders. Spell place minister G Parameshwara on Tuesday refuted allegations of communal bias by the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), state BJP president BY Vijayendra accused the government of “turning the police into a political weapon”. Dakshina Kannnada police on Monday claimed the move to extern 36 people from the district, including prominent local leaders from right-wing organisations and political parties, as a precautionary measure to curb communal unrest and repeated criminal activity. “The individuals shortlisted have a record of repeated communal offences, and the proposal for externment has been forwarded to the deputy commissioner for further legal process,” a senior police officer said on Tuesday, adding that the orders, if approved, would bar these individuals from entering the district for a period ranging from six months to a year.Those facing deportation include Mahesh Shetty Timarodi, president of the Hindu Jagarana Vedike in Beltangady, Sangh Parivar member Bharat Kumdelu, BJP leader Arun Kumar Puthila and leaders from the Muslim community as well. Authorities have cited their repeated involvement in activities that threaten public peace and law and order.Defending the state’s actions, denying any communal bias, Parameshwara said: “Communal harmony has been disrupted. There is a growing sense of hatred and jealousy among communities, and this should not happen. It is our collective desire that our society always lives with a spirit of brotherhood.”“The government will not wash its hands of the situation—we have a responsibility to maintain peace and uphold law and order in the state. From that perspective, we will act without hesitation. Caste and religion make no difference under the law. In the eyes of the law, every religion and caste is equal,” he further said.“There is a misconception that the police are only targeting Hindus and not acting against Muslims. That belief is far from the truth. Just yesterday (on Monday), someone filed a complaint and action was taken immediately. We don’t act randomly or without basis,” he added.While police insist the externment proposals are based on legal grounds and past records, the move has drawn a sharp reaction from the BJP. On Tuesday, BJP state president BY Vijayendra accused the Congress government of “turning the police into a political weapon”. “I discussed this issue with national leaders last night (on Monday). Today, our MPs and MLAs will meet senior police officials,” he said.Responding to the action against right-wing leaders, he said, “Once upon a time, kings ruled this country. We’ve heard of feudal lords back then. The current Congress government is running the state like those feudal lords. The Siddaramaiah-led government is running a Tughlaq-style administration that suppresses democracy.”He alleged the Congress government was attempting to distract from its governance failures by targeting Hindu activists. “Look at the shameful behaviour of this Congress government in recent months. At a time when people are expressing outrage over the lack of development in the state, the government is trying to cover up its failures through such incidents. It is also conspiring to insult Hindu activists,” he claimed.In response, Parameshwara stressed that action taken was not taken arbitrarily or influenced by public pressure. “One cannot simply go to someone’s house at night, create a fight, and expect the police to issue a notice and let them off. Even if someone is well-known in society, police cannot act arbitrarily against them. Action is taken based on what they have done.” According to the police, formal externment proposals have been submitted under relevant provisions of the Karnataka Police Act, which allows the removal of habitual offenders from a region if their presence is considered prejudicial to public safety. The measure, the officer added, is “preventive in nature, aimed at deterring the recurrence of communal tension, especially in sensitive areas.”The crackdown comes in the wake of a high-level meeting held on Monday in Mangaluru, where senior officials from the Dakshina Kannada district administration and the Kasargod police from Kerala discussed a coordinated strategy to tackle cross-border criminal activity and maintain communal harmony. City police commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy said the discussions in the meeting focused on tracing absconding suspects in communal cases, controlling illegal cattle and sand transportation, and improving information-sharing systems to monitor individuals known to incite violence. The meeting also addressed issues faced by students from Kerala studying in Dakshina Kannada.