The Hindu : Karnataka News : Minister defends ordering of inquiry

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 09, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka

Minister defends ordering of inquiry

By Our Staff Correspondent

HASSAN, FEB. 8. The Minister for Information, B. Shivaram, has defended the decision announced by the Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, to order an inquiry into Sunday's encounter in which two naxalites, including the Secretary of the Karnataka State Committee of the CPI (Maoist-Leninist), Saketh Rajan, were killed. Any other inquiry, including a judicial one, will mean delay, he said.

Post-mortem

Participating in a meet-the-press programme organised by the district unit of the Karnataka Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) here today, Mr. Shivaram, who is also the Minister in charge of Chikmagalur district where the encounter took place, also defended the decision of the district police to conduct a post-mortem on the bodies in a local hospital. The officials concerned just followed the existing practice, he said. However, in response to a demand by the Citizens' Initiative for Peace (CIP), the Government had consented for a second post-mortem.

To a query on the earlier decision announced by the Government to deploy the Special Task Force (STF) to go after naxalites despite stiff opposition from social and political organisations, he said the Government had to allay fears among the people in the Kudremukh National Park (KNP) area. Refuting the charge that the Government decided to deploy the STF to appease Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators, he said the Government was "soft" on naxalites till recently. However, an increase in their activities in Chikmagalur, Udupi, Shimoga and Dakshina Kannada districts, including abduction of people and snatching of ammunition from the police forced the Government to act. However, he denied reports in a section of the press that the STF has already been stationed at Hebri, Shirlalu and Matlapadi in Udupi district.

The Government, Mr. Shivaram said, is sympathetic to tribal people and settlers in revenue enclosures.

But it is against the illegal encroachers who are supporting the naxalites to safeguard their interests.

Mr. Shivaram said the Revenue Department has submitted a proposal to the Government for the regularisation of revenue enclosures, and the process will be completed after the elections to the gram panchayats.

Welfare package

On the delay in implementing the Rs. 60-crore package for the welfare of the tribal people, the Minister said the Government is implementing the package in phases. There are hitches in undertaking development activities in the core zone of the national park area, hence the delay, he said.

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