In a disturbing trend that has sparked condemnation, the Karnataka government has been accused of misusing its authority by filing FIRs against BJP leaders to suppress dissent and intimidate political figures. This controversial move comes after an FIR was lodged against Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, R. Ashok, Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje, Ravneet Singh, and MLA Basana Gowda Patil Yatnal. The charges are linked to their alleged sharing of false information on social media regarding the riots during the Ganapathi dispersal procession in Nagamangala and criticised Rahul Gandhi.
R. Ashok, who has been vocal in his criticism of the state government, did not hold back in his response. He took to social media platform X to express his outrage, stating, “Even if you file a hundred FIRs like this, you cannot silence my voice. We will not be scared by your empty threats.” Ashok criticised the state government, particularly targeting Home Minister G. Parameshwara for failing to address the real culprits behind the communal riots during the Ganesha procession in Nagamangala, but instead, using FIRs as a tool against BJP leaders.
"ಕೈಲಾಗದವನು ಮೈಪರಚಿಕೊಂಡ" ಎಂಬಂತೆ ನಾಗಮಂಗಲದಲ್ಲಿ ಗಣೇಶ ವಿಸರ್ಜನೆ ವೇಳೆ ನಡೆದ ಕೋಮುದಳ್ಳುರಿಗೆ ಕಾರಣರಾದ ಮತಾಂಧರನ್ನು ಪತ್ತೆ ಹಚ್ಚಿ ಅವರ ಹೆಡೆಮುರಿ ಕಟ್ಟಬೇಕಾದ ಗೃಹ ಸಚಿವ @DrParameshwara ಅವರು ವಿಪಕ್ಷ ನಾಯಕರ ಮೇಲೆ FIR ಹಾಕಿರುವುದು ಹೇಡಿತನದ ಪರಮಾವಧಿ.
ಅಸಮರ್ಥ ಗೃಹ ಸಚಿವ @DrParameshwara ಅವರೇ, ಕಳೆದ ಬುಧವಾರ ರಾತ್ರಿ… https://t.co/0qCkkeZmP2
— R. Ashoka (@RAshokaBJP) September 19, 2024
“The Home Minister, who should have been focusing on identifying and apprehending the fanatics responsible for the Nagamangala communal violence, is instead wasting time and resources by filing cases against BJP leaders. This is nothing but incompetence,” Ashok fumed. He further criticised the Home Minister for his lack of action, pointing out that a week after the violent incident, just 130 kilometres from Bengaluru, Parameshwara had not visited the affected areas.
“If the Home Minister had visited the scene, he would have seen firsthand the devastation, heard the cries and anxieties of the people, and understood the gravity of the situation. But instead, he has shown no sense of responsibility or duty,” Ashok remarked.
I demand an NIA inquiry into the Nagamangala incident where banned PFI agents attacked Ganesha procession & burned around 25 shops. Locals report unfamiliar faces, raising concerns of anti-social elements from Kerala. The Karnataka govt must be held accountable for this failure! pic.twitter.com/6ITKuAWNdO
— Shobha Karandlaje (@ShobhaBJP) September 18, 2024
Ashok defended his actions, asserting he had not shared any false information. “All I did was highlight the suspicions locals, eyewitnesses, and journalists raised about the incident. It seems the police who filed the FIR either did not read my post properly or do not understand Kannada,” he stated, emphasising that his social media posts merely sought to bring the issue to the government’s attention.
He also pointed out that the footage he shared, which showed rioters holding Palestinian flags in Chikkamagaluru and attacking Hindus in Davanagere, was legitimate and intended to warn the government of possible fundamentalist involvement in the violence. “As a responsible BJP leader, it is my duty to raise these concerns. But instead of addressing the root cause, the government has chosen to attack me,” he added.
Ashok called for an FIR against Home Minister Parameshwara for downplaying the incident as “minor” and misleading the public. “The government, incapable of preventing communal riots or curbing fanaticism, has resorted to cowardly tactics by filing an FIR against me. But I will not be silenced. I have been jailed for my beliefs during the Emergency and the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, and I will continue to stand up for my country, my religion, and the protection of Hindus,” Ashok declared.
In a separate but equally controversial case, an FIR has been registered against Union Minister Ravneet Singh, who made derogatory remarks about Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of being linked to terrorist activities. The KPCC Legal Cell complained, leading to Singh’s FIR at Bengaluru’s High Grounds Police Station. Singh had reacted to Rahul Gandhi’s comments on the situation of Sikhs in India by suggesting that those supporting Gandhi were “bomb makers,” calling him the “number 1 terrorist.”
Adding to the mounting political tensions, BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal has also been named in an FIR for allegedly insulting Rahul Gandhi and making inflammatory statements that could incite communal tensions. Yatnal, however, has defiantly dismissed the charges, stating that the Congress government’s attempts to intimidate him through legal means would not succeed. “This government has already faced defeat in many cases against me. They think they can silence me, but they are wrong. I come from a lineage of fighters, not cowards,” he asserted.
