Koppal student's murder: Cong seeks report on role of minister

State Congress president G Parameshwara said on Monday he had directed the Koppal unit of the party to submit a report on the alleged involvement of Minor Irrigation Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi in the murder of a student in Koppal.

Speaking to reporters, he said he had also sought an explanation from the minister in this regard. The State government has already ordered a CID probe into the issue. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will take appropriate action against the minister if he is found guilty. The Opposition parties are tarnishing the image of the minister by unnecessarily dragging his name into the case, he said.

The BJP has been mounting pressure on the government to sack Tangadagi. The party has been staging protests in North Karnataka, especially in Koppal district. The BJP leaders claimed that the student, Yellalinga, was murdered by the supporters of the minister for exposing large-scale lapses in the implementation of works under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme in the Kanakagiri assembly constituency represented by Tangadagi.

Minister’s defence
Tangadagi, for his part, claimed he was not involved in the death of the student. “I was surprised when the Opposition parties dragged my name into the issue. I welcome the decision to refer the case to the CID for a probe. It will bring out the truth,” he said.
He said the party had not sought an explanation from him on the issue.

This apart, Parameshwara accused the Opposition parties, the BJP and the JD(S), of trying to politicise the problems of sugar cane farmers by raking up the issue during the coming monsoon session of the State legislature in Belagavi.

Koppal report
The Criminal Investigation Department is likely to question journalists over the murder of Yallalinga, suspected to have been killed for giving bytes to a television channel over substandard works in his village.

According to sources, the CID police have made list of journalists - of print and electronic media - to gather information from them over the murder. Meanwhile, Hanumesh Nayak, the third accused in the murder case, taken into custody on Sunday, is being questioned.
Meanwhile, the Koppal district BJP unit on Monday launched a signature campaign demanding the chief minister to drop minister Shivaraj Tangadagi from the Cabinet.