JDS-BJP government failed to maintain law and order: Congress

Bangalore, Jan 22 (UNI) Accusing the JD(S)-BJP coalition government of totally failing to maintain law and order in Karnataka, the Congress today demanded a judicial probe into the large-scale violence that occurred in some parts of the city during the last three days.

Addressing a press conference here today, KPCC President Mallikarjuna Kharge said that the state police, which had given permission to hold public meetings of different organisations simultaneously in many parts of the city, had failed to assess the consequences.

Mr Kharge said that the city police after having given permission to hold Hindu Samajothsav in four places also entertained the Peoples' Front promoted by former Union Minister C K Jaffer Shariff to hold protest meetings against the execution of the deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. This was apart from CITU holding its national conference in the city at the same time, he said.

Accusing that the state police have failed to assess the situation after the violence broke out in the Eastren parts of the city on Friday. Miscreants taking advantage of the situation took law into their hands and unleashed large scale arson and violence.

He also alleged that the city police had shown partisan attitude in using force and opened fire indiscriminately, resulting in the killing of an innocent boy and leaving many others wounded with bullet injuries.

Strongly defending the protest rally held to condemn the execution of Saddam Hussein in which senior Congress leaders took participated on Friday, Mr Kharge denied that it has caused violence in the city.

''If state government was vigilant and used its police force judiciously the violent incidents would not have occurred. I squarely blame the state government for mishandling the situation.

Let the state government hold judicial inquiry into the violent incidents and take action against the culprits, whether they belonged to the Congress, the BJP or the JD(S)'' Mr Kharge said.

UNI