E-Paper
Next action in Mangaluru pub attack case after consulting legal team: Minister
Over 30 Sri Ram Sene activists had allegedly barged into a pub on January 24, 2009, in Mangaluru and assaulted some women and men, claiming they were violating traditional Indian values.
The next course of action in the Mangaluru pub attack case in which all the accused were acquitted by a court would be taken in consultation with the state’s legal team, Karnataka minister Ramalinga Reddy said on Thursday.
Rightwing fringe group Sri Ram Sene chief Pramod Muthalik and several others were recently acquitted for lack of evidence.
“We will take a decision in the pub attack case after consulting our legal team, which includes our Advocate General,” the home minister said.
Over 30 Sri Ram Sene activists had allegedly barged into a pub on January 24, 2009, in Mangaluru and assaulted some women and men, claiming they were violating traditional Indian values.
The incident had triggered national outrage after the video clip of the attack went viral.
To a query, Reddy said the government was continuing to give police protection to Muthalik “because of the threat he received long back.”
Reddy said there has been no progress in the investigation into the MM Kalburgi assassination case.
Kannada writer and rationalist Kalburgi was shot dead at his residence by two unidentified assailants in August 2015.
On journalist Gauri Lankesh murder case, Reddy said, “We will disclose details as and when we get information in this regard.”
The 55-year-old Lankesh, known as an anti-establishment voice with strident anti-right wing views, was shot dead at her home on September 5 last year.
On March 9, police had arrested alleged gunrunner KT Naveen Kumar, who was taken into police custody on March 2 for questioning in connection with the case.
Asked about a letter written by Additional DGP RP Sharma to chief secretary Ratna Prabha, Reddy said, “It is an illegal letter... I don’t want to answer... ask the chief secretary.”
In his letter, Sharma had highlighted “serious chink in the armour” of the state’s security, triggering a political slugfest with BJP targeting the ruling Congress.
