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K’taka withdraws cases against accused in 2022 riots, BJP alleges appeasement
Karnataka's government withdraws criminal cases from the 2022 Hubballi riots, facing BJP criticism for "appeasement" and "vote bank politics."
The Karnataka government has decided to withdraw a raft of criminal cases in the state, including one registered against a large group of individuals, mostly from the minority community, in connection with the 2022 Hubballi riots, drawing sharp criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which accused the ruling Congress of practising “appeasement” and “vote bank politics”.
The decision to withdraw several criminal cases was taken by the state cabinet in its meeting on Thursday, people familiar with the matter said. Some of these cases were registered against Kannada activists, farmer leaders, as well as BJP leaders like former minister MC Sudhakar and senior leader CT Ravi.
Senior BJP leader and Union minister Pralhad Joshi, who represents the Hubballi-Dharwad Lok Sabha constituency, described the Congress government’s decision to withdraw the Hubballi riots case as “height of appeasement”. “Unfortunately, the Congress party here in Karnataka has reached the height of appeasement. They have withdrawn the case under the UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act), when the matter is before the NIA (National Investigation Agency) court. In normal course as far as I know, the state cannot withdraw it but still they have withdrawn it. This is the height of appeasement,” Joshi said.
On the night of April 16, 2022, a large crowd, mainly from the Muslim community, armed with stones and clubs, had gathered near the Old Hubballi Town police station against the detention of a young man who had allegedly posted derogatory content on social media. The protest quickly escalated into violence, with the mob hurling stones at the police, injuring some of the on-duty personnel, and damaging public properties.
The police arrested 158 people and booked them for rioting, attempted murder, attacking government officers, damaging government and public properties and also under stringent provisions of UAPA. A total of 12 first information reports (FIRs) were registered in connection with the riots, and those arrested in the case included All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Mohammed Arif and party corporator Nazir Honya.
People familiar with the matter in the Congress said that months after the party came to power in the state in May last year, deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar wrote to the home department in October 2023 to review the FIRs and witness statements, and determine if the cases warranted withdrawal. The review by the home department paved the way for the decision made at the Cabinet meeting.
BJP leader CN Ashwath Narayan, who was the deputy CM in the previous BJP-led government, also criticised the cabinet decision. “The Congress always stands for appeasement and vote-bank politics. They have been exposed time and again for their bias. How can they withdraw the Hubballi riot case, which involved serious charges like rioting and attempted murder? This decision is deeply questionable,” he added.
The ruling party, however, defended the move, with chief minister Siddaramaiah saying the government was within its rights to take the decision. “The government has the powers to withdraw some cases. There is a cabinet subcommittee under home minister’s leadership, as per their discretion they have taken the decision and the cabinet has approved it. I will see what it is,” Siddaramaiah told reporters in Mysuru.
Congress leader and state’s rural development minister Priyank Kharge maintained that many of the cases withdrawn were “politically motivated” and should not have been filed in the first place. He explained that the review process also led to the withdrawal of old cases against Kannada activists and farmer leaders.
“We have withdrawn politically motivated cases. Several cases, like those involving protests by farmers and pro-Kannada activists, have also been withdrawn. In fact, cases filed against senior BJP leaders, including CT Ravi, were also dropped because they were politically motivated. Why is there no objection to that?” he asked.
Responding to a question about the severity of violence in Hubballi, Kharge pointed out that many individuals in such cases are often picked up simply because they are present at the site, even if they are not involved in violent acts.
“In cases like this, many people get arrested because the words ‘others’ are used in the FIR. Many of these individuals have struggled to continue their studies or secure jobs because of these cases. We examined each case carefully and made the decision to withdraw those that were not directly related to serious offences,” he added.
