Karnataka BJP unit on Monday, July 10 attacked the ruling Congress government in the state over handling the murder case of a Jain pontiff in Belagavi. Meanwhile, thousands of Jain community members staged a protest condemning the murder. Raising the issue in the Assembly session at the zero hours, former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said that the Jain pontiff was murdered by close aides in a planned manner. He also said that the killers have executed him more brutally than ISIS terrorists.
"The pontiff did not have any financial deal with accused number one Narayan. If at all, there was a difference of opinion, why was the pontiff hacked to death? The police have come to a conclusion without probing the matter," he said.
BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal demanded that the matter should be handed over to the CBI. "The authorities and Congress leaders are not taking the name of second accused Hassan Dalayat. This is done to appease one community. In T Narasipur town, a Yuva brigade activist was killed. After this government came to power, the flag of Pakistan was hoisted in the state," Yatnal claimed. Speaker UT Khader intervened and stated that politics should not be brought in this matter.
Yatnal further said that due to political pressure, the police are not taking the name of Hassan Dalayat and that the police might soon change their tune. "They had lodged 23 cases against me under political pressure. CM Siddaramaiah did not even pay condolence even for courtesy after the murder of Jain pontiff. If religious leaders of other communities were to be killed, the condolences would have poured in from all corners," he said.
BJP MLA Siddu Savadi said that the murder is conspired by the global terrorist outfit ISIS. "The pontiff was tortured to hell before being killed. He was electrocuted. There is a role of a terrorist organisation behind this. The government is hushing up the case," he said.
Acharya Shree 108th Kamakumara Nandi Maharaja from Chikkodi went missing on July 6 from the Jain Basadi at Nandi Parvat in Hirekodi near Chikkodi city in Belagavi district. Police sources explained that the accused had cut his body into pieces after killing him. The preliminary investigations revealed that the pontiff was hacked to death in the premises of the ashram and later his body parts were disposed of. One of the devotees close to the pontiff had killed him, police said.
The accused from Khatakabhavi village had good rapport with the pontiff. After winning his confidence, he had taken lakhs of rupees from the pontiff as loan. When he was asked to repay the loan, he hacked the pontiff to death. The main accused had taken the help of a man from Chikkodi to carry out the murder.