Former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy told reporters on Tuesday that the entire Mangaluru bomb incident was just a “farce and the entire episode of defusing the bomb seems like a mock exercise.”

Speaking about the bag found at the Mangaluru International Airport on Monday he said, “The bag contained powder used for the manufacture of crackers. It was not a live bomb.”

He further lashed out at the government saying that incident was doctored to appease some organizations. He said, “I would like to ask the government the fact about yesterday’s bomb incident. There is no truth in it. There was no live bomb in it. It was a conspiracy to create a rift between two communities. Looking at the way the police tried to defuse the bomb, I feel like taking a decision in future to honor them duly. I have not woven stories, but I’ve been quoting the stories appearing in the media.”

“Ten kilograms of live bomb has made the people of the state panic. An iron box in the bag contained cracker powder and wire pieces in it and there were no detonators to explode it. A large container has been brought to shift the bag and defuse it. Defusing takes place only when a bomb is found. It seems like a mock exercise. Don’t try to breach the trust of people in the state. This is not a government of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad or RSS. Don’t create rift between religions,” he added.

Kumaraswamy also mentioned that the incident was suspicious especially because it took place during the unrest due to the Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens protests in the state. He said, “We have been witnessing developments that create a tension in the minds of the people. Mangaluru and coastal region were peaceful during the 14 months of the coalition government. Due to the central government’s decisions with regards to the CAA and NRC, we have been witnessing protests across the nation. The December 19 violence in Mangaluru has created an atmosphere where people lost trust. The government has forgotten its responsibility to solve major issues before the nation when the nation is witnessing protests and campaigns related to CAA and NRC.”

Suspecting foul play he asked, “While the Chief Minister is in Davos wooing investors, the BJP’s actions are portraying Mangaluru as a communal city. How will this help attract investments? Media reports state that the accused is an engineer and was trying to secure a job at the Mangaluru airport. Today, unemployment is a huge problem. I want to highlight this point to the attention of both the Home Minister and the Prime Minister of this country.”

Aiming his guns at the BJP, Kumaraswamy had earlier said, “That Muslims become terrorists is not the case anymore. They have given rise to a situation where even those from the Hindu community can become terrorists. Because it is Rao, no one is saying anything. Maybe, the BJP bhakts are unhappy. If it were a Muslim, they would have cashed in on it.”  

Aditya Rao, the main suspect in the case had surrendered to the Bengaluru police. The incident triggered a political slugfest thereon. Acting state Congress President Dinesh Gundu Rao on Wednesday said, “The BJP may not be happy with this news. They would have preferred it a surname other than Rao.”

Meanwhile Mangaluru city police commissioner tweeted saying that his meeting with the ex CM was nothing more than a security visit for he too was a protectee. He also said that the city police was investigating the suspected explosive material found at the Mangaluru International Airport and had made progress on available leads. He also appealed to all the leaders of society to take a responsible stand with regards to the matter.

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“Made to sit on the bus floor like criminals”: Detained Kerala journalists

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Just a week ahead of the crucial bypolls in the state of Karnataka, the Bengaluru City police has charged several top Congress and Janata Dal Secular (JDS) leaders and some senior police officers with Section 124A (sedition), Section 120A (criminal conspiracy), Section 499 (defamation) and Section 121 (attempting / abetting waging war against the Government of India) among others, The New Indian Express reported.

Those among the charged are former chief ministers Siddaramaiah and HD Kumaraswamy, senior leaders DK Shivakumar, Parameshwara, Dinesh Gundu and DC Thammanna among others.

The Commercial Street police, acted on a private complaint filed by an activist A Mallikarjun, a native of Gubbi taluk in Tumakuru, who had filed the same before the 82^nd City Civil and Sessions court.

The charges by the lower court have been filed against the leaders for their statements against the Income Tax Department on March 27 and the protest in front of the IT office in the city on March 28, for opposing raids on Congress and JDS leaders, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections; which were an alleged violation of the model code of conduct the complainant said.

Mallikarjun said that the then city police commissioner T Suneel Kumar and the DCPs did not take any action against the protestors who caused hardships to the motorists and public, and asked the court to take action against the suspects.

The Bengaluru Police has also booked T Suneel Kumar, former DCP East Rahul Shadpurwad, former DCP Central Deveraju and six other police officers.

“The complainant had initially approached us and filed a complaint. But we had taken cognisance of the complaint and registered a non-cognisable report. He went to court and got the order on November 22. We are enforcing court orders,” the Commercial Street Police said to The News Minute.

“While hundreds of workers of both the political parties gathered, the leaders made speeches calling the I-T department an ‘agent of the BJP’. This amounts to obstructing I-T officials from discharging their duties. Besides, this led to major traffic snarls in the area. The police personnel who were present at the spot did not do anything to stop the protest,” the complainant stated.

Social media has broken out in protest over the charges filed against the former chief ministers and others, accusing the BJP of not tolerating dissent.

The @BJP4India does not tolerate any kind of dissent.
Are we still a democracy? @MahilaCongress

Police Books Siddaramaiah, Kumaraswamy & Others For Sedition Over Protests Against I-T Raids https://t.co/Xae2sl72U1

— Karnataka Pradesh Mahila Congress (@KarnatakaPMC) November 29, 2019

Dissent is the first thing they suppress in a Facist regime.

Police Books Siddaramaiah, Kumaraswamy & Others For Sedition Over Protests Against I-T Raids https://t.co/YPDVfMgDNG

— Lavanya Ballal | ಲಾವಣ್ಯ ಬಲ್ಲಾಳ್ (@LavanyaBallal) November 29, 2019

Former Karnataka CMs Siddaramaiah, Kumaraswamy booked for sedition, defamation .
This was expected. The frustration of losing Maharashtra.
The vendetta Politics continues .#bjpvindictivepolitics#Siddramaiah#Kumaraswamy https://t.co/IdAbOO83IP

— Dr Jwala Gurunath (@DrJwalaG) November 29, 2019

On order of magistrate, sedition cases against top police officers, former Karnataka CMs Siddaramaiah, Kumaraswamy for remarks on income tax raids against Congress, JD-S leaders!
What kind of judge passes such orders, what kind of police officers obey. https://t.co/BgWo0QCtSL

— Samar Halarnkar (@samar11) November 29, 2019

In March, Kumaraswamy had requested the Election Commission (EC) to intervene and stop the statewide Income Tax department raids on contractors and businessmen allegedly associated with the then ruling JD(S) and the Congress, India Today reported.

He had called the raids a “”shameful attempt to threaten the ruling allies and create fear among their cadres” and urged the panel to prevent harassment apart from calling them a “real surgical strike”.

Kumaraswamy, along with JD(S), had raised slogans against PM Modi he had accused the BJP government for “misusing” the IT department and other central agencies like the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) with whose help the raids were conducted.

In another news, Chief Minister of Karnataka, B S Yediyurappa has said that he is going to file a defamation suit against Siddaramaiah over his comment that the BJP ‘bought’ disqualified MLAs. Siddaramaiah and HD Kumaraswamy had accused the BJP of luring each of the 17 disqualified MLAs for Rs. 30 – 50 crore and make them resign to collapse the Kumaraswamy government.

“We will quickly start filing defamation case in the court against Siddaramaiah and Kumaraswamy for their defamatory and irresponsible statements,” the Chief Minister told The Week.

After a massive loss in Maharashtra, is the BJP resorting to ugly tactics to erase all opponents and gain foothold in Karnataka? If yes, will this money power and muscle power work to its advantage?

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Understanding SC Verdict while BJP promises defectors Ministership if elected: Karnataka

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He said, “Modi is fair, HDK is dark. Even if he takes bath ten times a day, he will still look like a buffalo.” In the run up to the general elections, political parties are leaving no stone unturned to influence the masses on the basis of ‘popular beliefs.’ The recent statement wherein Kage has hinted at the people’s preference of Modi over HDK due to latter’s ‘bad’ complexion is an example of the same.

The current ruling dispensation is infamous for passing communal remarks and promoting its Hindutva agendas. Recently, the Election Commission barred the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Union Minister Maneka Gandhi from holding public meetings owing to their communal speeches. Such reprehensible remarks are not only an insult to the dark people but also re-enforces the notion that black is ugly and thus, not preferred.

Right from the time of Nelson Mandela, people all over the world have been fighting against the injustice and discrimination faced by the blacks. Such racial comments bring shame to the party as well as puts the nation in a bad light.

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