Bengaluru: Karnataka Home minister Araga Jnanendra has drawn widespread criticism after he claimed that a recent murder of a 22-year-old youth here was because he did not know Urdu, retracting the statement later by stating that the incident was actually over road rage.
"I have gathered information regarding Chandru's murder. He was asked to speak in Urdu, he didn't know, when he said he didn't know any language other than Kannada, they killed him by stabbing him repeatedly" Jnanendra told media at the BJP office at Jagannath Bhavan in Malleswaram this morning.
The minister said that the Dalit was murdered ruthlessly and a few people have already been arrested in the case. However, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant refuted the claims made by the minister, saying the killing was over road rage.
"On the midnight of April 4 at around 2:30 am, Simon Raj and Chandru, both friends, had gone to an eatery at Hosaguddadahalli, and as the shop was closed they were returning. While returning on their bike, they collided with another bike, being ridden by one Shahid," he said.
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This led to a quarrel. "During the fight, Shahid along with two friends (who joined him) stabbed Chandru on his right thigh and the assailants fled from the spot. Chandru was shifted to Victoria hospital, where he succumbed to his injury. All the three accused are arrested", Pant said.
Speaking at the Kannada Bhawan shortly afterward, Jnanendra retracted his "wrong" statement, saying, "I have just got the detailed report...I had said it (murder) was due to a language issue, but it is not right...Police have given a detailed report. It is a case of road rage. My statement was wrong."
"I regret the old statement," he added.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai during his New Delhi trip on Wednesday said that he was not aware of the statements of Home Minister Araga Jnanendra and would react after getting the information. Defending Jnanendra, Minister of Higher Education of Karnataka Ashwath Narayan said, "The Home Minister has issued a statement on preliminary information. This is not a statement against anyone. Such an event should not happen in the name of language and religion. This is not an event we have produced ourselves, but Home Minister regretted his statement, that was his greatness."
However, the statement evoked sharp reactions from opposition parties.
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Hitting out at the Jnanendra, senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the assembly Siddaramaiah said, it is "unfortunate" that he is the Home Minister of the state and is "unfit to remain in the position".
JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy said the Home Minister's statement was aimed at disturbing communal harmony in the State and is "irresponsible".
"They (ruling BJP) are trying to play politics even in the murder case...." he said.
(With agency inputs)
