Prohibitory orders clamped in Mangaluru; seer summoned by police over RSS worker's murder

Prohibitory orders under section 35 of the Karnataka Police Act 1963 will be in force from 6 am today till the midnight of July 30 in Mangaluru This to avoid recurrence of unwarranted incidents having potential of disturbing peace in the society Police have issued a notice to honorary president of Hindu Samrakshana Samiti, Sri Rajasekharananda Swami to appear before an investigating officer

Prohibitory orders have been clamped in the Manglauru city limits till July 30 in the wake of recent incidents of communal unrest in parts of Dakshina Kannada district.

In a related development, head of a local mutt has been asked to appear before police in connection with his claims that he had "vital leads" on the murder of an RSS worker in nearby Bantwal, police said at the district headquarters here.

Prohibitory orders under section 35 of the Karnataka Police Act 1963 will be in force from 6 am today till the midnight of July 30, an official release quoting Mangaluru Police Commissioner T R Suresh said.

All acts of public utterance of cries, singing of songs, playing of music, use of gestures, exhibition or dissemination of objects such as placards and pictures which may affect public order would stand prohibited.

The measure had been undertaken to avoid recurrence of unwarranted incidents having potential of disturbing peace in the society, the release said. Four other taluks of the district, including Bantwal, are under the prohibitory orders as per Section 144 of CrPC for the past several weeks in view of the unrest.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramiah had on July 10 directed the police to arrest those disrupting communal harmony in the district. His directives came following a spate of stabbing incidents, including that of RSS worker Sarath Madivala by unidentified persons on July 4. The victim died on July 7.

A 24-year old man, claimed to be a right-wing sympathiser, was attacked by some people at Kuthar near here on July 8. Earlier, murder of a Social Democratic Party of India worker at Benjanapadavu in Bantwal on June 21 escalated the tension, forcing authorities to extend the ban orders which were first imposed on May 27 following skirmishes between two groups.

Meanwhile, police have issued a notice to honorary president of Hindu Samrakshana Samiti, Sri Rajasekharananda Swami, asking him to appear before investigation officer at Bantwal police station on Monday.

The swami, who is chief of Gurpur Vajradehi Mutt, had told a press meet here on July 14 that he had exclusive information about the conspiracy and other details about the murder of Madiwala. He had also said that he would reveal it only if the National Investigation Agency took up the case.

Reacting to his claim, state Food and Civil Supplies Minister U T Khader had said concealing a known fact relating to a criminal case itself amounted to crime and that the police had its ways to secure such information.