BJP MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, on Sunday, criticized the police not being able to apprehend the murderers of a Karthik Raj, who was killed near the Konaje police station in October 2016.
The BJP MP threatened to set the entire Dakshina Kannada district on fire if the Karthink’s murderers were not apprehended by the police within 10 days.
“Weeks after the murder of Kartik Raj, son of former Mangaluru Taluk Panchayat vice-president Umesh Ganiga, and other such unfortunate incidents in Mangaluru, not even one accused has been arrested by the police. This indicates the administration’s failure and that the legislator is directly responsible for it. If the accused are not arrested within 10 days, there are possibilities that Dakshina Kannada district will be up in flames,” MP Nalin Kumar Kateel had said.
Kateel was addressing a protest meet conducted by the Hindu Rakshana Vedike outside Konaje police station on Sunday, according to media reports.
The MP accused the police personnel of being hand-in-glove with the Congress party by saying, “The police should protect the people rather than being followers of politicians.”
According to a report by Deccan Herald, BJP Mangaluru Assembly unit president Santosh Kumar Boliyar had said that Ullal constituency had witnessed most number of untoward incidents in the entire district. He warned that a protest would be staged outside the police station if the accused were not arrested within 10 days.
Reacting to Kateel’s statement, Minister of Environment, Forest and Ecology, Ramanath Rai, who won the elections in Dakshina Kannada district’s Bantwal taluk, said that a complaint has been filed against MP Kateel at the Konaje police station for making inflammatory remarks. The complaint was filed by Block Congress President Santosh Shetty.
“I have spoken to Home Minister Dr Parameshwara about Kateel’s remarks and have suggested that action be taken against him. An MP cannot go about making inflammatory statements,” Rai said.
As Kateel's statement sparked outrage, the MP changed his tune and told The Hindu that he did not intend to disturb the peace. "I wanted to say that people will be frustrated if the police fail to catch the culprits. In a hurry, I said we are capable of setting the district on fire," was quoted by the Hindu.
The deceased, Karthik Raj, was the son of the former Mangaluru Taluk Panchaya Vice President, Umesh Ganiga, according to a report byThe Hindu.
On October 23, 2016, he was hit on his head with a heavy stick by unidentified people near Konaje police station, while he was jogging from his house to the local gym, the report said.
As news of Karthik’s death spread, a public meeting was held by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s joint secretary Surendara Kumar the very next day of the attack. Jain had claimed Raj was a victim of revenge killing by from some people from another community, the report adds.