05-Apr-2025 02:27 PM
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Madikeri, Apr 5 (Reporter) Karnataka BJP President Vijayendra Yediyurappa on Saturday issued a stern warning to the state government, alleging deliberate omission of two Congress legislators' names in the FIR related to the alleged suicide of BJP worker Vinay Somaiah.
Speaking to reporters here, Vijayendra said the party would wait for a reasonable time for the inclusion of the two MLAs' names in the FIR.
"If their names are not added, the Chief Minister and the Home Minister will be solely responsible for the consequences. We will not be held accountable," he warned.
The BJP leaders are staging a protest in Kodagu in connection to Somaiah's alleged suicide.
Vijayendra said he had communicated this to the Superintendent of Police (SP) and urged senior police officials not to succumb to political pressure. "Is an innocent BJP worker not human?" he questioned, adding that the police system appears to be functioning at the behest of the ruling party.
Taking a dig at the Congress government, Vijayendra said, "Is this a Tughlaq Durbar? Are we to accept that atrocities by ruling party legislators are beyond accountability?" Referring to previous incidents in Kalaburagi, he asked whether the administration had learnt any lessons.
He claimed that two Congress MLAs – AS Ponnanna and Mantar Gowda – along with two party workers, were responsible for mentally harassing Somaiah, which allegedly led to his suicide. "Our activist took the extreme step under pressure. We cannot tolerate this anymore," Vijayendra asserted.
The BJP state chief criticised the police for registering FIRs against social media administrators and common citizens for expressing their views. He alleged that BJP workers and sympathisers were being harassed at police stations which, he claimed, were now functioning like Congress offices.
He further claimed that the FIR filed in Madikeri did not mention the names of the MLAs, despite evidence from the deceased's WhatsApp messages and suicide note. "There is already an injunction from the High Court. Still, the police harassed the youth. He was mentally distressed and ultimately took his life," Vijayendra said.
He condemned the arrest of another BJP worker who had merely posted about hospital toilet repairs, calling it a "travesty of justice". He reiterated that the BJP would not remain silent and urged authorities to act independently and impartially...////...