Mangaluru: Thanking police commissioner Chandra Sekhar and ACP CCRB Valentine D’Souza for finally solving the murder case of engineering graduate Karthik Raj, Food and civil supplies minister U T Khader has demanded a public apology from BJP state president and former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa for trying to give communal tinge to the case and misleading people.
Speaking to press persons in Manglauru on Sunday, he said most of the BJP leaders including BJP State president B S Yeddyrappa, had indirectly held people of a minority community responsible for the coldblooded murder. Yeddyurappa visited Karthik Raj home, and cooked up some stories so that it looked like a communal, politically motivated murder. Being a former chief minister and responsible person, Yeddyurappa should justify to the people for terming the murder as a politically motivated one.
Karthik Raj, a resident of Sudarshan Nagar in Pajeer was murdered during his jogging routine on October 22, 2016 near Asaigoli under the limits of Konaje police station.
Questioning the delay in solving the Karthik Raj murder case, he said, "ACP Valentine D'Souza and his team have been able to crack the Karthik Raj murder case within 15 days, now the question arises, why it was not possible for the local police station to do it. They took more than 6 months but failed to arrest the culprits. The police inspector who was investigating the case was a close relative of Karthik Raj and the locals were definitely sure about the participation of the family members. It was the duty of the local police station to be more responsible in investigating the case".
When asked about Mangaluru Chalo, on May 2, spearheaded by K Ashraf demanding justice to Ahmed Qureshi, who was purportedly subjected to police barbarity, Minister said “The case has been handed over to COD. Most of the Muslim organizations have withdrawn their support for Mangaluru Chalo. They are waiting for the COD report. Whoever knows the truth they will not support Mangaluru Chalo. If they are sure that the police have done iniquity with Quraishi let them file a private complaint to get equity and justice”.
Mithun Rai, District Youth Congress President, Mamatha Gatty and others were present.