BANGALORE: The two people who died in police firing in Haveri were not farmers, according to BJP MLA Nehru Olekar, who on Wednesday appeared before the Justice Jagannath Shetty commission of enquiry probing police firing on agitating farmers.
He represents the Haveri Assembly segment.
Terming the victims as “trouble-makers and drunkards’’, Olekar said the deceased Siddalingappa Churi and Puttappa Honnatti were not farmers and they instigated others to participate in the riots on June 10, 2008 at Haveri.
Both Churi and Honnatti led the mob and shouted slogans against the government and tried to take advantage of the situation, Olekar said during the examination being conducted by the commission’s advocate Madhusudhan Adiga.
“Mischief mongers were involved in the riots and they even attacked the police van and tried to set it on fire. Police then opened fire against the mob in self-defence since it was inevitable,” Olekar deposed.
The riots were pre-planned with an intention of bringing a bad name to the ruling party and Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, Olekar said. The commission also examined two journalists of two leading dailies, who covered the incident, besides taking Congress leader HK Patil’s statement on the firing.
