Home Minister V S Acharya told reporters in Bangalore that the government was also contemplating tabling the Justice K Jagannath Shetty commission which inquired into the communal riots at Bhatkal in 1992-93 in which at least 16 people were killed.  Chittaranjan was shot dead on April 10, 1996, while he was watching television at his house in Bhatkal town.

Successive governments had announced that the two findings of the commissions would be placed before the State legislature but the reports are still being kept under wraps.
Portions of the Shetty Commission which were published in a section of the press, made a mention of the ISI activities in Bhatkal taluk.

The CBI, he said had failed to make any breakthrough and had sought the permission of the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court, Bhatkal, to close the case as the culprits had not been traced. The court, however, rejected the CBI’s request.  He said the government had instructed the Western Range Inspector General of Police to keep track of all developments in the sensitive town of Bhatkal.

Not against scribes

Acharya said the state police had only sought information from a section of journalists who had done special features on naxalites in the state. “There has been no uncharitable behaviour against the journalists. We have sought their cooperation to share information about their sources in the interest of the people and the State,” he said replying to queries on police reportedly trying to coerce information from journalists on naxalites.