The Karnataka government may adopt Uttar Pradesh’s policy of recovering the cost of damage to public property from alleged rioters, state Revenue Minister R Ashoka said on Thursday, according to PTI.
Violence had erupted in the city of Mangaluru as protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act snowballed on December 19. Two protestors who died in Mangaluru were identified as 49 year old Jaleel Kudroli, and 23 year old Nausheen.
“...The way in which Uttar Pradesh government has decided to confiscate the properties of those indulging in violence – if such things [violence] happen again [here], it will be brought in Karnataka also,” Ashoka said.
Ashoka said everyone must abide by the law of the land. He also defended the amended citizenship law by saying that “India is not a charitable lodging place for those from Pakistan and Bangladesh” to stay here. “Whether it is CAA or NRC [National Register of Citizens] it is the law of the country, Congress MLA should also follow them and so does BJP MLAs and everyone else,” he added.
Kannada & Culture Minister CT Ravi and state Bharatiya Janata Party General Secretary and MP Shobha Karandlaje, too, pitched for the “protestors to pay” model. “If protestors damage public property, they should be held liable for the same. It doesn’t matter which movement or political party the protestors represent,” said Ravi. Karandlaje said rioters should not be let away. “Anyone can protest, but if they cause damage to public property, government should make sure that they pay for it,” she added.
Former Congress minister UT Khader said the Karnataka government must focus on restoring peace instead of issuing such statements, reported The Times of India.
On December 19, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath had vowed to take “revenge” against those who damaged government property. He had said that there was no place for violence in a democracy. “There was violence in Lucknow and Sambhal and we will deal with it strictly,” he said. “All property of those involved in damaging public assets will be seized and auctioned to compensate for the losses.”
Following the chief minister’s threat, as many as 295 people in the districts of Lucknow, Kanpur, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Sambhal, Rampur, Bijnor and Bulandshahr have received notices in connection with property damage worth at least Rs 1.9 crore. Earlier, the Rampur district administration had asked 28 people to explain why they should not pay for damage worth Rs 14.86 lakh caused during anti-Citizenship Act protests,
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