Udupi: Constable Death - Innocents Arrested Under Political Influence: Relatives
Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (SP)
Udupi, Jan 6: Addressing a press conference at Katapadi on Thursday January 5, office-bearers of Human Rights Protection Committee, and parents of the accused arrested in connection with the death of a policeman in stone throwing incident which occurred during an entertainment programme here last Sunday, alleged that innocent people have been booked in the case.
"The police have miserably failed to arrest the actual culprits relating to the case in which police constable, Yogish Padakannaya, died due to stone pelting by the crowd. Due to political pressure, the police have booked people who were in no way connected with the incident. Hence, we demand that this case be referred to judicial inquiry," they said.
Prashant Jathanna, state convener of the committee, said that complaints will be sent to Karnataka State Human Rights Commission and state Governor, against the arrests, assault, and brutality of the police against innocent youth.
He said that the arrested Rafiq and Abubakker work as auto rickshaw drivers, while Latif is a painter by profession. Bhaskar works in a salon in Katapadi. While it is true that they had visited the place to witness the entertainment programme, they were not the culprits. "The police know who the actual assaulters were. As the political clout of offenders is strong, false cases have been hoisted against people who are not guilty, after two days of the incident. Clearly, political conspiracy has worked behind this act," he alleged.
He also felt that the deceased policeman would have survived, if the police had taken steps to provide him timely treatment. He argued that Padakannaya's death occurred because of the negligence of the police in attending to the injury suffered by him.
Abdul Khader, father of Rafiq, Ismail Achada, father of Latif, and others were present at the press conference.