Kumaraswamy demands judicial probe

Hubli, Jun 12: Former Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy today demanded a judicial inquiry into the police firing at Haveri on Monday in which a farmer was killed and five others were injured.

Talking to mediapersons after visiting the injured at Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences here, he alleged that no responsible police officer or a person had ordered firing on the fateful day. Visual media reports had indicated that a gun was snatched from a policeman and rounds were fired from it.This had lead to the suspicion, he claimed.

He challenged Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa to come out with the details on his allegation that rival political forces were involved in the violence that broke out at Dharwad-Hubli twin cities and Haveri district.

''Let him (Mr Yeddyurappa) come out with the truth whether these political forces were from his own party or from other parties,'' he added.

Mr Kumaraswamy said there were forces in the BJP capable of setting buses on fire for not getting ministerial berth. He said all these doubts would get cleared if there was a judicial probe by a sitting High Court judge. "From the day one the new government assumed power, the Chief Minister maintained that there was enough stock of fertiliser and sowing seeds, instead of verifying the facts," he alleged.

Earlier he who visited the family of Siddaling Churi who had died in the police firing and announced an assistance of Rs.2.5 lakh to be kept in a bank deposit in the name of his two children.

He also paid Rs.15,000 cash to the seriously injured person at the hospital and Rs.5000 each to other injured in the police firing.

UNI