Yediyurappa demands judicial probe into Mulky firing

Mulky, Karnataka, Dec 6 (UNI) Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa today demanded that a judicial probe be ordered into the murder of a local BJP leader and the subsequent ''unwarranted'' police firing, in which two people were killed on December one.

Addressing newspersons here after visiting the house of the slain leader Sukhananda Shetty, the party General Secretary of Mulky-Moodabidre Assembly segment, he said he would meet both Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and Home Minister M P Prakash and urge them to order a judicial probe into the incidents by a retired High Court Judge.

Holding the district administration totally responsible for the incidents, he accused the police of failing to act on an earlier complaint from Mr Shetty about threat to his life.

Mr Yediyurappa claimed that some ''invisible hands'' were repeatedly making systematic efforts to destabilise places like Dakshina Kannada, Hubli and Belgaum and said such forces should be arrested and severe action taken against them.

He criticised the police for nabbing ''innocent'' people for their alleged involvement in the violence during the funeral procession of Mr Shetty, instead of nabbing the murderers.

The State Government and the BJP paid a solatium of Rs one lakh each to the families of the two victims.

Meanwhile, night curfew had been extended in Mulky town from 1900 hrs today to 0700 hrs tomorrow after relaxation of day curfew from 0700 hrs to 1900 hrs.

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