MANGALORE: BJP leader and MLC Ganesh Karnik allegedly called Vittala Malekudiya, a journalism student of Mangalore Univeristy, who was jailed spent 125 days after he was arrested by the Anti-Naxal Force (ANF), on March 3 last for his alleged support to Naxals, a traitor.
At an election campaign programme at Belthangady on Sunday, Karnik said, “we have enough proof against him and hence legal action must be taken against Vittala.”
Meanwhile Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and Adivasi Budakattu Janara Samanvaya Samiti leaders condemned Karnik’s statement. and said that the MLC was trying to spoil the future of a tribal youth by giving false statements.
DYFI district president Muneer Katipalla and Samiti district president Sudhakara Malekudiya said that told reporters in Belthangady on Monday that even the police have not filed a chargesheet against Vittala till date. “It is unfortunate that the MLC has termed Vittala as ‘traitor’ even though the police have no evidence against him. How can we call a person naxalite by just seizing a book on Bhagath Singh and tea powder?” Muneer said adding that Karnik’s statements are baseless.
