The BJP on Monday staged a protest demanding Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge’s resignation over the suicide of a civil contractor from Bidar district, who ended his life on December 26. BJP state president B Y Vijayendra said that since the police force here is dominated by the Kharge family, any attempt at unbiased investigation is out of the question.
“The entire police department, having jurisdictions in and around the Kalaburagi district, is run by the Kharge family. They are very powerful, and state police cannot investigate them fairly,” he said, according to a news agency. He wanted Siddaramaiah to force Kharge to resign on the spot and let the CBI take over the case since they could not be impartial.
The BJP added that it would launch a protest outside the Kalaburagi residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge – Priyank Kharge’s father – if the demands are not met by January 3. As per the letter of a suicide note, he pointed out that Raju Kapanur, an associate of Priyank Kharge, threatened to kill him and demanded ₹ 1 crore. The note also claimed that the staking and harassment by Kapanur made the man commit suicide, which Kapanur has denied.
Vijayendra also said the suicide note hints at an assassination plot targeting MLA Basavaraj Mattimud, BJP leaders Chandru Patil and Manikanth Rathod, and pontiff Siddalinga Swami. He said contract killers from Maharashtra were involved in the murder and expressed deep concern on the issue.
The BJP leader called upon the state government to pay a compensation of ₹1 crore to the deceased’s family apart from the family getting protection. Besides, he demanded one of the family members get a government job in order for them to be supported during this phase. The party has demanded that since the state government failed to provide justice and reveal the truth of the incident, only the CBI has the capability to do so.
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