The Karnataka BJP Monday held a ‘Dharmasthala Chalo’ rally, condemning the Congress government for allegedly targeting Hindu religious centres in the state. The rally came in the wake of the ongoing probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the alleged secret burials at the temple town in Dakshina Kannada district.
During the rally, BJP leaders pressed for a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the alleged secret burials and for the state government to re-investigate a 2012 rape and murder case to ensure justice for the family of the victim.
Speaking at the rally, Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Pralhad Joshi alleged that the SIT probe at Dharmasthala was part of a conspiracy by the Congress against the majority community in the country. Likening the investigation to the row at Sabarimala temple, he accused the party of “working against Hindus to appease minorities”.
The investigation at Dharmasthala, he said, was part of the Congress’s efforts to reduce the influence of the BJP in the coastal district.
BJP state president B Y Vijayendra said that the attack on Dharmasthala was due to ‘evil’ and ‘anti-Hindu’ Congress ruling the state.
Following the public event, a delegation of leaders under Vijayendra visited the residence of the 2012 rape and murder victim and offered support for the family members to pursue the case.
Speaking to reporters, Vijayendra said that the BJP would bear the legal expenses if the victim’s family decided to challenge the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court order, which acquitted the one accused arrested in the case.
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A teenager was raped and murdered in 2012 near Dharmasthala. Though one arrest was made in the case, the CBI court acquitted the accused for want of evidence and slammed the officials who conducted the preliminary investigation for not collecting the evidence required. The family of the victim has maintained that the accused was framed in the case to ensure that the real perpetrators of the case went scot-free.
Responding to the rally in Dharmasthala, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar asked whether the BJP was not happy with the SIT probe that the party itself had demanded. “There are two groups in the BJP. It is their conspiracy. BJP workers themselves plotted this to bring disrepute to Dharmasthala. Now, they are doing drama,” he said.