‘Constitute SIT to probe Vinayaka Baliga’s murder’

Activist and Federation of Indian Rationalists Association (FIRA) president Prof Narendra Nayak dared Chief Minister Basavaraj S Bommai to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the murder of BJP worker and RTI activist Vinayaka Baliga.

Nayak of Deshpremi Sanghatanegala Okkoota was addressing a gathering before the start of a procession from Sri Venkataramana Temple in Car Street.

The procession from the temple to Baliga’s house near PVS Kala Kunj was organised to mark the sixth anniversary of Baliga’s murder on Monday.

Nayak recollected that when Baliga was murdered, the Congress government ignored their pleas on constituting an SIT probe. Then Baliga’s party, the BJP, came to power.

“Bharatha matha followers and Gau matha rakshaks who were hopeful that BJP will order an SIT probe were also disappointed,” said Nayak.

The Baliga Files runs into thousands of pages. The procession was organised from the premises of the temple because the conspiracy to murder Baliga was hatched here. Baliga was brutally murdered for allegedly questioning irregularities in finances of Venkataramana Temple and Kashi math, he alleged.

Earlier, Baligas’s sisters Harsha and Anuradha Baliga appealed to the presiding deity in the temple to punish all those who were directly and indirectly involved in the murder of Vinayaka Baliga.

“Though we lost our mother within 10 months after the murder of Vinayaka and our father within a year, we never felt orphaned due to the faith reposed in you,” Anuradha Baliga said.

Holding back tears, Anuradha urged god to punish those involved in the murder of her brother.

Karnataka Pradesh Mahila Congress president Pushpa Amarnath said she had decided to attend the procession as she could sense the loss of Harsha and Anuradha Baliga.