Amid Home Minister G. Parameshwara arguing that the law and order situation in the State was good despite a shortage of police personnel and new challenges posed by cyber crime, the Opposition BJP and Janata Dal (Secular) members on Monday staged a walkout from the Legislative Council expressing their unhappiness over the Minister’s silence on alleged “love jihad” cases. What angered them was also his comparison of the law and order situation in Karnataka with BJP-ruled States in the North.
During his nearly two-hour reply to the House, the Home Minister compared crime figures of Karnataka with that of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Bihar, and Maharashtra, and argued that Karnataka was far better in terms of various crimes. He also indirectly pointed out that crime in Karnataka had gone up during the previous BJP regime.
Shortage of personnel
Dr. Parameshwara also pointed out that the State had a vacancy of over 1,500 police sub-inspectors and about 20,000 constables. “We have requested the Finance Department to allow recruitment of about 600 PSIs.”
The Opposition benches expressed unhappiness that the Minister did not delve into the issue of the alleged “love jihad”, did not explain the arrest of BJP member C.T. Ravi during the Belagavi Winter Session, and took objection to Karnataka’s crime chart being compared with Uttar Pradesh.
“What is the population of Uttar Pradesh? How can you compare our figures with theirs that has a history of crime?” asked Mr. Ravi, alleging that one community that has been behind attacks on police stations in Mysuru, Bengaluru, Hubballi, and Channagiri was being treated differently.
However, even before the Home Minister could clarify, Leader of Opposition Chalavadi Narayanaswamy announced the walkout in protest. Chairman M.K. Pranesh expressed displeasure over the walkout before the Home Minister’s clarification.
40% cases in Whitefield cybercrime
While in Bengaluru nearly 30% of total crimes reported are cyber crimes, in Whitefield it is about 40%, said Home Minister G. Parameshwara. He said that about 40,000 personnel from the police and the judiciary have been trained in cyber crimes in the last two years.
Published – March 17, 2025 09:33 pm IST