Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara.
Credit: DH Photo
Bengaluru: Home Minister G Parameshwara told the Legislative Assembly on Monday that he had ordered legal action against a person whose two-year-old video claiming that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was involved in 24 murders has gone viral.
The issue was raised by the opposition BJP in the House, questioning the government’s “inaction” against the person who levelled the allegations against the chief minister.
The BJP, Parameshwara and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who spoke about this, did not take names, but they are said to be referring to Mahesh Shetty Thimarody, president of obscure outfits called the Rashtriya Hindu Jagarana Vedike and the Praja Prabhutva Vedike.
Thimarody is seeking justice for Soujanya, a college girl whose 2012 rape and murder in Dharmasthala remains unsolved. Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Leader of Opposition R Ashoka asked why the government hadn’t acted against the person.
“The legislature session. The person who demanded a probe into alleged mass murders at Dharmasthala has claimed that the CM was involved in murders. Allegations are being made against the CM during the legislature session. Is this a goonda state?” he asked.
BJP’s S Suresh Kumar said “untreated sewage” was flowing on social media. “If a person can say that the CM committed 28 murders and immediate action isn’t taken, how can we tolerate it?” he said.
Shivakumar intervened and pointed out that the person had made allegations against a BJP national general secretary as well. “What I’m trying to say is that we shouldn’t name such people and make them leaders,” he said.
Parameshwara said the government was not helpless. “Let’s not make that person (who has made allegations) big. There are multiple cases against that person. I’ve given instructions that action must be taken against him. We’ll ensure he’s punished under the law. We’ll act mercilessly,” Parameshwara said.
Subsequently, Parameshwara informed the Assembly that the allegations were made on May 27, 2023. “He didn’t speak now. I don’t know why the opposition raised this now,” he said.
In 2023, Thimarody had echoed Belthangady’s BJP MLA, Harish Poonja, who had alleged that “Siddaramaiah had killed 24 Hindus”.
“Either Harish Poonja must go to jail or Siddaramaiah must go to jail. One of the two must happen,” he had said and asked the police to register a case suo motu.
Based on Poonja’s speech, an FIR was registered at the Belthangady police station alleging that he attempted to incite hatred between religions.
Thimarody clarified that he had only echoed the MLA. “I only questioned the statement made by Harish Poonja... Your MLA is sitting right here — arrest him first. You cannot take an old statement and issue a blanket accusation.”
He called the issue a “conspiracy to stall the SIT investigation into the Dharmasthala killings”.