The Hindu : Spontaneous bandh in Gulbarga Dt.

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 10, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

Spontaneous bandh in Gulbarga Dt.

By Our Special Correspondent

GULBARGA Dec. 9. In response to the brutal killing of the former minister, H. Nagappa, who had been abducted by the forest brigand, Veerappan, a spontaneous bandh was observed in almost all the taluk headquarters and major towns in Gulbarga District.

Normal life came to a grinding halt with the North-Eastern Karnataka Transport Corporation (NEKRTC) suspending its services from dawn. Overnight buses coming from other destination were provided police escort to reach the central bus-stand.

Gulbarga city wore a deserted look with all business establishments, hotels, factories, and shops downing their shutters. All modes of public transport, including autorickshaws and cycle-rickshaws were off the road, and there were reports of forcible closure of shops in some parts of the city. All educational institutions declared a holiday as a precautionary measure.

According to reports received here, Shahpur, Surpur, Sedam, Chincholi, Chitapur, Aland, Kamalapur, Shahbad, Wadi, Yadgir, Gurmitkal, and other important towns observed a total bandh and people took out protest marches to express their anguish over the killing of Mr. Nagappa.

In Gulbarga city, the Janata Dal (U), the BJP, the District Veerashaiva Mahasabha, and the Basava Dal organised separate protest marches. The protest led by the JD(U) was supported by the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML). They came in a procession headed by the former minister, S.K. Kanta, from the market area to the Deputy Commissioner's office.

The Veerashaiva Mahasabha and Basava Dal procession was led by their leaders, D.V. Patil, Ravi Shahbadi, M.N. Patil, Basavareddy Itagi, and others. The Veerashaiva Mahasabha procession joined the one led by Mr. Kanta in the march to the Deputy Commissioner's office where the JD(U) workers squatted on the main road for more than an hour before dispersing.

The district unit of the BJP organised a protest demonstration near Vallabhbhai Patel Chowk. The BJP leaders, sporting black badges, shouted slogans against the Government for its failure to get Mr. Nagappa released.

Mr. Kanta said the "nonchalant attitude" of the Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, had resulted in Mr. Nagappa's death. The Congress government in the State had lost the moral right to remain in power, he said, adding that an agitation would be launched to unseat the government.

The Veerashaiva leaders were even more strident in their attack on Mr. Krishna and his government and said the members of the community would not allow the Congress government to go unpunished for allowing Mr. Nagappa to die a painful death in the custody of Veerappan.

Police made elaborate security arrangements and no untoward incident was reported in any part of the district.

DSS demand

The Dalit Sangharsha Samiti (Sagar) today asked the Governor, T.N. Chaturvedi, to dismiss the Congress government for its "failure to discharge its constitutional obligation to protect the lives and property of the people of the State".

The State convener of the DSS, D.G. Sagar, and the organising convener, Mallishi Sajjan, addressed a joint press conference and said it was high time that the Governor intervened and restored order in the State. "The Congress government should resign owning moral responsibility for the killing of Mr. Nagappa, or it should be summarily dismissed," they said.

Mr. Sagar said the State Government which had use all its resources and sent negotiators to get the Kannada thespian, Rajkumar, who was also kidnapped by Veerappan two years ago, released, had not exhibited the same zeal in getting Mr. Nagappa released.

The DSS, which organised a dharna in front of the Deputy Commissioner's office, submitted a memorandum to the Governor through the Revenue authorities.

Mr. Sagar said the law and order machinery in the State had collapsed and the dalits were coming under increasing attack from vested interests and upper castes.

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