Narayanaswamy Accuses Karnataka Government of Failing to Protect Dalits

Former Union Minister A. Narayanaswamy has accused the Karnataka government of failing to adequately protect members of the Scheduled Castes and called on Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Home Minister Priyank Kharge to resign if the administration cannot ensure their safety.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP's state office in Malleswaram, Bengaluru, Narayanaswamy alleged that several cases involving murder, sexual assault and other alleged atrocities against Dalits had been reported across Karnataka, while accusing the state government of failing to respond adequately.

He referred to the alleged killing of a Madiga activist who had reportedly spoken out against alleged maladministration and corruption in a district. Narayanaswamy claimed that the activist's body was found on the roadside and alleged that, although an FIR had been registered and one person arrested, further arrests had not been made.

Narayanaswamy also referred to alleged incidents in Kalaburagi, Raichur, Lingasugur, Sirwar and Manvi, among other locations, and said several such cases had been reported in August.

He accused the state Home Department and police leadership of failing to give sufficient attention to the cases. These claims were made by Narayanaswamy at the press conference and would require verification by the relevant authorities.

The former Union minister also raised allegations concerning incidents in Lingasugur and T. Narasipur. He claimed that a person had been stopped from having tea at a hotel in Lingasugur and alleged that a suo motu case had been registered against YouTuber Manjunath by a police sub-inspector in T. Narasipur.

He also questioned the handling of the alleged death of a woman identified as Mahadevamma in Nanjangud and asked why, according to his claim, an FIR had not been registered.

Narayanaswamy called for the Home Minister to convene a review meeting to examine the number of atrocities reported against members of Scheduled Castes in Karnataka between 2023 and 2026.

He also criticised the Karnataka State Commission for Scheduled Castes, alleging that its chairman, Murthy, had not taken adequate steps to address the concerns of the community.

The BJP leader further raised allegations concerning claims made by contractors over pending government payments. He referred to allegations that contractors would disclose information about an alleged "percentage" demanded by legislators if their outstanding dues, which he put at Rs 35,000 crore, were not cleared.

Narayanaswamy urged the Karnataka High Court to take suo motu cognisance of those allegations and called for any relevant information to be made public.

Turning to the broader law-and-order situation, he also criticised the state government's administration and questioned Shivakumar's experience in handling the Chief Minister's responsibilities.

Narayanaswamy additionally alleged that Karnataka was facing financial difficulties, with several government schemes and institutions affected by funding constraints.

He claimed that some schools with reported examination results of 98 per cent were still lacking basic supplies such as soap and toothpaste, while also alleging delays in teacher appointments and salary payments to principals.

He further claimed that several state corporations were experiencing financial difficulties because of a shortage of funds.

The allegations made by Narayanaswamy form part of the BJP's broader criticism of the Congress-led Karnataka government. The claims concerning specific criminal cases, financial figures and alleged misconduct remain allegations and would need to be established through official investigations or other competent authorities.