Gowda sits in protest, seeks CBI probe into activist’s death
JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda on Tuesday staged a dawn-to-dusk hunger protest in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue on MG Road, demanding a CBI probe into the alleged murder of a farmer, who was part of the protest against the BMIC project on the outskirts of Bangalore recently.
Speaking to reporters, the JD(S) leader said though Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE) MD Ashok Kheny and a local BJP leader Rudresh have been named as first and the second accused, respectively, in the complaint, the police have not arrested them yet. Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda had promised to take action in two days, but nothing has been done, he alleged.
The slain Siddalingaprabhu was actively involved in the protest against the project. He was opposing the NICE for forcibly taking away farmers' land. Hence, he was murdered, Gowda alleged.
Even the senior advocate of the Supreme Court Prashant Bhushan has recently cautioned the State government on the goondaism of the NICE. It is high time the government takes serious action in this regard, he said. Gowda warned that he will raise the issue in Parliament, besides intensifying the protest in the BMIC project area.
