Bantwal clashes were not communal but pre-meditated, politically motivated, says report

In what could be a disappointment to the state BJP leaders who have been claiming that Bantwal clashes were communal, the State Police chief report - submitted to the government - says it was "pre-meditated, conspired and politically motivated".

The report submitted by DG and IG Roopak Kumar Dutta reportedly states that the clashes were not communal but were politically motivated, reports Kannada Prabha quoting highly-placed sources. "There is a lot of difference between the real reason behind the Bantwal clashes and the way it was projected in the media. The investigation reveals that the clashes were politically motivated," said IG RK Dutta during a press conference. However, he refused to divulge the details of the report. Besides, he clarified that there had been no proposal to ban any organisations that were allegedly behind the Bantwal clash. According to Kannada Prabha, the report is only about the clashes and no organisation has been directly blamed for the clashes.

It is reported that the murder of RSS worker Sharat Madiwala and Ashraf of SDPI were not due to communal reasons. "Instead these murders conspired," IG Dutta told media persons. "During the investigation into the clashes, it was found that these murders were not the result of the spur of the moment but were pre-meditated. There is no reason to attach a communal colour to these clashes," reports Kannada Prabha, quoting sources.

It may be recalled here that during the Bantwal clashes, the BJP leaders led by MP Shobha Karandlaje had strongly claimed that the communal tension behind the clashes. They had even urged the Siddaramaiah government to ban the Karnataka Forum for Dignity (KFD) blaming it for the communal tension.

The police personnel have been strictly warned to keep an eye on those who frequently cause communal tension. Meanwhile, the police chief has also sought a report on the reported failure on the part of the police personnel during the Bantwal clash. "In a gap of just two weeks, a worker from RSS and SDPI have been killed leading to communal clashes in the region. Besides, questions were raised on police for allowing Sharat Madiwala's funeral procession when the area was still under the curfew. There were stone pelting incidents during the funeral. The police chief has sought the report on these loopholes in the department," reports Kannada Prabha quoting sources.   

• bantwal clashes
• IG RK Dutta
• karnataka