‘SP should have taken action in lecturer case’

Senior Congress leader B K Chandrashekar has welcomed Home Minister M B Patil’s directive to the Vijayapura police to take action against ABVP workers who allegedly forced a lecturer to apologise for a purported anti-national Facebook post.

Sandeep Wathar, who teaches at Dr PG Halakatti Engineering College run by BLDE Association that Patil heads, was allegedly forced down to his knees to apologise after he posted a message that was said to be endorsing Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s stand on the India-Pakistan tension.

“Even if there was something highly objectionable, workers of any political party or any other group could not take the law into their own hands and with such impunity as they have displayed in this case,” Chandrashekar said in a statement.

‘Duty-bound’

“I am disturbed by the statement of the (Vijayapura) superintendent of police that he would be able to initiate action only upon receipt of a complaint. It was perfectly open for him – indeed he was duty-bound – to ask the police who were present on the spot to prepare an FIR under IPC Sections 141-149 dealing with ‘offences against public tranquillity’ as well as under Section 340 dealing with ‘wrongful confinement’. Why did the SP not recognise this? Who else can infuse confidence in law-abiding citizens,” he asked.