KPCC chief D.K. Shivakumar, on Thursday, alleged that the Bengaluru police was under pressure from the BJP government to frame the Congress party in the DJ Halli riots case. He also indicated that the city police commissioner was behaving like a "BJP agent".
"The failure of the police system is responsible for the riots and not the Congress party. We will be forced to fight the police instead of the BJP if the investigation gets derailed derail under pressure from the ministers. The police should act against the real culprits instead of trying to tarnish the image of our party. I will not tolerate it," said Shivakumar.
Slamming the City Police Commissioner Kamal Pant, the state Congress chief said the top cop should stop behaving like a "BJP agent".
"The Congress party has given powers to the police and you must work with honesty and follow the Constitution. The state's image gets tarnished every time BJP comes to power as it fuels communal clashes. The home minister is threatening to issue notice to the Congress leaders and the police is getting influenced by it," alleged Shivakumar, who also issued a warning to the BJP government to abstain from arresting the innocents.
Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai condemned Shivakumar for dubbing the police commissioner as BJP agent, saying, "It is another ploy of the Congress to protect the rioters. Kamal Pant is an able officer. I condemn Shivakumar's statement. His pressure tactics will not work. Stringent action was taken against the rioters. The people have been appreciating the police action. It is the Congress culture to treat the police as their agents. The police are conducting an impartial probe, and no one can influence them."
Earlier, Shivakumar had alleged the BJP was trying to cover up its own failures by blaming the Congress.
"We will support you in punishing the guilty and those who take law into their hands. But we will not remain silent when innocents are arrested. I will not allow you to slap false charges on any of the Congress members. Why are the BJP ministers, MLAs and MPs making inflammatory speeches not arrested?," said Shivakumar, who also demanded a judicial probe by a sitting judge of the High Court, stating the Congress had no faith in the magisterial probe.
The Congress veteran also reminded Chief Minister Yediyurappa that he had promised to file 'B' report within 24 hours in a case filed against AICC chief Sonia Gandhi but it was still pending.
