Udupi: Close on the heels of mining mafia crossing its limits and even daring to assault Deputy Commissioner, the Bharatiya Janata Party, Udupi district has demanded resignation of district in-charge minister Pramodh Madhwaraj claiming that the Minister was supporting the sand mafia in the district.
BJP District President Mattar Rathnakar Hegde, in a press conference said that the Congress supports illegal sand mining in the district and it was with this backing that the sand mafia could grow to the extent of assaulting DC Priyanka Mary Francis, Assistant Commissioner Shilpa Nag and others on April 2 in Kundapur.
“The attack on DC is first of its kind case that has taken place in the region. The Congress members are running illegal sand mafia in the district,” he said adding that it is strange as to why the district in-charge minister was not supporting the DC who was doing her duty.
Stating that law and order machinery has collapsed, he said that Madhwaraj is also seen blaming the DC for visiting the illegal sand mining spots on her own. “The DC may have gone to the spot in a private vehicle, but that does not take away her identity from her. She was doing her duty and her intentions were right. But, it is rather shocking to see the district in-charge minister make statements against the DC. It is not at all shocking that seven DCs have been transferred during Congress rule,” he said adding that the attackers must be brought to books immediately.
Raghupathy Bhat, former MLA, endorsing views of Mattar, said that due to Madhwaraj’s support illegal sand mining is flourishing in the district.
Earlier BJP members staged a protest at the CLock Tower in Udupi to condemn the attack on the DC and other officers.
BJP leaders Suprasad Shetty, Kuthyaru Naveen Shetty, Katpady Shanker Poojary, Suresh Nayak Kulaidy, Upendra Nayak, Akshith Shetty Hega, Nayana Ganesh, Geethanjali Suvarna and other were present during the protest meet.
Meanwhile, several organisations have come together to demand the police department to act immediately and nab the persons who had attacked Deputy Commissioner, AC and others.
Members of likeminded organizations like Karnataka Karmika Vedike, Associations for Sand Mining Horata Samithi, Udupi District Truck Owners Association, Karnataka Rakshana Vedike and others met Superintendent of Police K T Balakrishna and handed over a memorandum in this regard.
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