Mangaluru/Tumakuru 2 June

State Home Minister G Parameshwara said that the government has taken the issue communal tensions in Dakshina Kannada seriously and will deploy the anti-communal task force in ten days.

“The government has acted swiftly in response to the incident in Mangaluru. District In-charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao has visited the spot. I personally visited a murder site earlier,” he said in Tumakuru on Monday. “Within ten days, we will operationalise a dedicated unit of anti-communal task force for three coastal districts.”

Tensions have been high along the coastal belt after Hindutva activist and known rowdy-sheeter Suhas Shetty who was murdered in Mangaluru on 1 May.

Addressing rumours that the task force would target specific communities, Parameshwara clarified that it is not communal in nature.

“There is speculation that Hindu leaders are being targeted. Let me be clear—no one will be spared if they break the law, whether they are Hindu or Muslim. Law is the same for everyone,” he clarified.

“There will be no such incidents in Mangaluru, Udupi, or Karwar going forward. Karnataka continues to maintain good law and order,” Parameshwara said. “Most of the murder cases are solved and culprits caught. Compared to last year, crime rates have declined this year.”