K’taka plans to recover damages from culprits

THE GOVERNMENT SAYS THAT IT WILL APPROACH THE HC FOR APPOINTING A CLAIM COMMISSIONER FOR ASSESSMENT OF DAMAGES DURING RIOTS

nBENGALURU The Karnataka government on Monday said that it has decided to approach the state high court for appointing a Claim Commissioner for the purposes of assessment of damages caused to private and public property during last week’ s riots in the city, and also recover the cost from the culprits.

On August 11 and August 12, in the riots following a social media post by a relative of a Congress legislator, three people were killed and more than a hundreds were injured in the DJ Halli and KG Halli police station limits.

At a meeting conducted by chief minister B S Yediyurappa with the home minister Basvaraj Bommai and senior police officials, it was decided that a stringent action will be taken against the culprits for violence by invoking of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). The chief minister confirmed the developments in a series of tweets.

“We will approach Hon’ble High Court for appointment of Claim Commissioner as per Hon’ble Supreme Court order,” Yediyurappa tweeted.

Briefing media after the meeting home minister Bommai said that a team of three special public prosecutors would be appointed for perusing the case. “The Special Investigation Team (SIT) that has already been formed will also invoke the Goonda Act in cases wherever the provisions so attract,” he added. Bommai also said the police were investigating whether the rioters had an association with any extremist or ter

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rorist organizations.

Meanwhile, Firdous Pasha who was the first to register a complaint against Naveen, the nephew of Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy for an alleged blasphemous post, has registered a case against the rioters saying that his scooter was burnt by them.

Separately, Murthy met CM Yediyurappa on Monday who promised him to look into his demands for a CBI probe and had assured full security to him and his family.

Another key person allegedly involved in the riots was also arrested.

According to Bangalore Addtitional Commissioner of Police Sandip Patil the accused Samiuddin was associated with the killers of an RSS worker Rudresh who was hacked to death in October 2016 and also had links with Al Hind which has been labelled as a terror group.

Police on Monday arrested K Wajid Pasha , the president of Tipu Sultan Alfath trust, which claims to be an NGO working for the welfare of the poor amongst minorities, in connection with the riots . Wajid, who claims to be a Janta Dal (Secular) worker, was also one of the masterminds of the riots, said people familiar with the matter requesting anonymity.