Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 23 : Former Karnataka Chief Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday demanded a probe into the Dharmasthala case by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
"In the Dharmasthala case, the state government must hand over the investigation to the NIA to reveal who is behind the conspiracy and those named by Chinnayya must be arrested and interrogated; otherwise, people may conclude that the state government itself is part of the conspiracy. To avoid this, the investigation must be handed over to the NIA," Bommai posted on X.
The BJP MP further said that in the Dharmasthala matter, the SIT's conduct should have been like this in the beginning.
"Without verifying the credibility of the complainant, the merit of the complaint, and the supporting evidence, the SIT was formed and began digging blindly, like starting work in darkness," Bommai argued, adding, "It is clear that the purpose of forming the SIT and the motives of certain people within it were to bring disrepute to Dharmasthala, create suspicion, and tarnish its image. Believing that such a narrative would receive support from the state government, they exerted pressure, and in response, the government constituted the SIT."
Bommai claimed that the police officers, who were part of the SIT, were not given the freedom to act.
"The fact that competent police officers within the SIT were not given complete freedom is evident from the way the investigation has proceeded. At one stage, when the media was revealing details of every excavation, the moral courage of the government eroded, and it was forced to face widespread public outrage. Realising the strength of the BJP's movement, the government altered its objective and the course of the probe, and only now has the real investigation begun," the former CM said.
In other related cases, since the Dakshina Kannada police conducted proper investigations and brought out the truth, the SIT too has had no choice but to move towards uncovering the truth, he added.
Bommai further stated that the Karnataka government had failed to curb the "smear campaign" against Dharmasthala, and demanded that the case be handed over to the NIA, so that those named by the arrested complainant could be held accountable.
"To reveal who is really behind this conspiracy, the state government must hand over the case to the NIA and arrest and interrogate those named by Chinnayya. If this is not done, people may conclude that the state government itself is part of the conspiracy. To prevent this, the investigation must be handed over to the NIA," he demanded.
Earlier in the day, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar called upon the BJP to not politicise the issue. He maintained that he was neither for nor against Dharmasthala, but for justice.
Speaking to reporters at his Sadashivanagar residence, Shivakumar said, "The BJP was sitting on the fence regarding this issue. They have started talking after I raised the angle of conspiracy."
"We are neither for them (Dharmasthala) nor against them. We are for justice. We are only saying that we should not do politics in matters of religion. The family of the Dharmasthala victims spoke to the CM and appreciated the formation of the SIT. The investigation is ongoing. The CM and the Home Minister have clarified in the legislative assembly that the government would take action against the culprits irrespective of their position," the Deputy CM said.
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara told reporters that police are investigating to unearthen the network behind the case and confirmed the arrest of the complainant.
"It is true that he (the complainant) has been arrested, he is in police custody, and cannot give any information as the investigation is ongoing. Officers will continue the investigation, and I will get more information from the SIT. I cannot give more information until the investigation is completed. What network is behind this will be found," Parameshwara said.