BENGALURU: Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara said on Thursday that the six Naxals, who surrendered before Chief Minister Siddaramaiah here on Wednesday, did not hand over the weapons used by them.
Dr Parameshwara told reporters that police will conduct an investigation to trace the weapons. There are many cases in Karnataka and neighbouring states against the surrendered Naxals. Those governments have also initiated action. Of the six Naxals, one is from Kerala and another from Tamil Nadu. Siddaramaiah will speak to his counterparts in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, he said.
He said 99 per cent of Naxal activities in the state ended with the surrender of six Naxals. Now, there is a need to spread awareness against such activities. There is nothing wrong in Naxals surrendering before the CM in Bengaluru. That helped in sending a message across the state, he added.
On BJP MLA Sunil Kumar’s concern over Naxal activities, the home minister said the Anti-Naxal Force (ANF) is in Karkala, the MLA’s constituency.
CLP meet
Dr Parameshwara said he is not aware of the agenda of the Congress Legislative Party meeting.
There were many reasons for postponing the meeting of SC/ST legislators and leaders. Top leaders of the party from New Delhi informed that they will also attend the meeting, he said replying to a question whether AICC leaders did not trust state Congress leaders.
Party leaders from the state spoke to AICC general secretary (in-charge of Karnataka) Randeep Singh Surjewala about the SC/ST legislators’ meeting. “I told him that we want to discuss many issues with him and invited him to the meeting. He informed us that he will give a date soon,’’ the home minister said.