Karnataka government to recommend CBI probe into Kalburgi murder case

MANGALURU: The Karnataka government would recommend a CBI investigation into the recent murder of progressive Kannada scholar M M Kalburgi in Dharwad as the case was similar to the killings of rationalists Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare in Maharashtra, Home Minister K J George said today.

George said the CID currently investigating the case was doing a good job and its officials were certain about finding the culprits. However, the government had no problem with CBI investigating the case, he told reporters here.

The state cabinet had recently decided to hand over the case to CBI with the government stating that the state CID would probe it till the central agency takes over the case.

Kalburgi was shot dead at point blank range by two unidentified men at his residence on August 30 with police yet clueless about the killers.

The state Home Minister also said moral policing in any form would not be tolerated by the police.

Referring to the incident at Attavar on August 24 when a youth was stripped and beaten up by a group of people for being with a girl of another community, he said stringent action would be taken against those who indulged in such acts.

On local fringe rightwing outfit Rama Sene chief Prasad Attavar's arrest on September 3 over a Facebook post 'justifying' the killing of Kalburgi, he said police would take suo motu notice over provocative speeches or acts intended to create communal tension and law and order problems.

The minister said the internal security department was looking into reports of drug menace in the city and coastal belt of Dakshina Kannada and the district Superintendent of Police had been authorised to tackle the issue.

The cyber crime cell of the police would be strengthened and more home guards temporarily posted in the department till trained personnel were recruited, the minister said.