Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah on Wednesday visited DJ Halli, where rioting occurred last month, in his first public appearance after recovering from Covid-19.
Speaking to reporters, Siddaramaiah urged the police to “immediately” release “several innocent people” who were under arrest. The former CM reiterated his demand for a judicial inquiry into the violence.
“Out of more than 300 people arrested, there are some innocents also. They should be let off immediately for lack of evidence. Those who did wrong, whoever they may be, should be punished,” he said.
The Congress leader visited Pulakeshinagar MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy’s house that was gutted in the riots and the DJ Halli police station that was
vandalised.
“Naveen, who posted a derogatory message about Prophet Mohammed, was arrested by the police, but he couldn’t be brought out because of the mob. If his arrest had been announced immediately to the mob, the violence could have been mitigated. This is what I could assess,” he said.
He asked the state government to finish the investigation soon and punish the guilty. The Congress, he added, would discuss the riots in the upcoming session of the legislature.
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