Govt should take terror suspects’ case seriously, hand it over to NIA, say Oppn leaders

BENGALURU:  Following the arrest of five terror suspects in Bengaluru, leaders of the opposition BJP and JD(S) have alleged that there has been a rise in criminal and terror activities

Former chief minister and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy, while reacting to the arrest of suspected terrorists, said, “The CCB police have caught suspected terrorists and I would congratulate our police department for taking quick action and arresting the terrorists”.

He also said, “The government should also pay more attention to such criminal activities. Recently, there have been murders on the streets and people are worried about this. The government should immediately take action to prevent such incidents from happening in the city”.

Former Chief Minister and BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai, while congratulating the CCB for arresting the terrorists, said the state capital is turning into a safe haven for suspected terrorists.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, he said that crimes in Bengaluru have also been increasing over the last two months. Bengaluru’s law and order situation is now out of control and murder and extortion are becoming more common, he lamented.

“Many cases are not being registered at the police stations. The job of the police is to maintain law and order and control crime. But middlemen are trying to control the government and it should not allow such things. Extortion activities have increased in the city”, he alleged.

Bommai said criminal activities are being stoked in Bengaluru. “The ISIS was in touch with terrorists. The CCB officials should go deeper into the matter for the safety of the citizens. All this happened because of international support. The cases against terrorists should be handed over to the NIA for immediate investigation. The government should take this seriously”, Bommai stressed.

BJP national general secretary CT Ravi too suggested handing over the case to the NIA. “The main accused is abroad. A bomb blast in Benglauru is a serious matter. KPCC chief D K Shivakumar had called them innocent in the cooker blast case. But this time, don’t go hug them calling them your ‘brothers”, he remarked sarcastically.

BJP national general secretary C T Ravi speaking to the media at the party office in Bengaluru on Wednesday.

To the question on whether such activities increase when a Congress government comes in power, he said the terrorists take advantage of the situation thinking that it is their government (‘Namdu ke Sarkara’).

Taking a dig at Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, the BJP leader said that the former had declared them innocent (referring to the Mangaluru cooker blast case) and had even alleged that the BJP government was arresting them purposefully. “The Congress may be in power today, but terrorists are preparing to carry out terror activities in the country. If they Deputy CM hugs them, Bengaluru and Karnataka may be in trouble. Let the government give the police freedom to conduct investigations. Don’t put the state in trouble by showing concern to them”, he said.

Former minister R Ashoka said, “Terror activities increase wherever the Congress is in power. I am collecting some documents regarding this. I have heard some Muslims were distributing the Quran in a police station and got signatures from the personnel. Bengaluru is developing at the international level and they are trying to prevent foreign investors who comes to invest here. They want to create an atmosphere of fear. The Central government should interfere in this case, and the Central ministers should ensure the city remains protected. After today’s arrests, it clearly shows that the Congress government is sitting with folded hands”.