BENGALURU: Senior BJP leaders on Saturday urged the state police chief to stop registering FIRs against party workers who submitted Form 7 during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. The BJP leaders alleged that after Chief Minister DK Shivakumar staged a protest before the Election Commission office in Bengaluru on Thursday regarding Form 7, the police department has been targeting BJP workers.
Former chief minister BS Yediyurappa, BJP state president BY Vijayendra, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, MPs and MLAs met the DG&IGP and submitted a memorandum.
Ashoka said Congress leaders have put pressure on the police to register criminal cases against party members. Police stations have become Congress offices and criminal cases were registered against BJP workers, he said. The BJP leader said they can file Form 7 and it is for the Election Commission to decide whether a voter’s records are correct or not.
The BJP leader alleged that people from Bangladesh were brought in and settled on 15 acres of land at Kogilu Cross in Bengaluru and an attempt was made to add more than 300 families settled there to the voter list. Ashoka said even if the police register cases, BJP workers will not back down. If they do not withdraw the cases, the BJP will stage protests.
Yediyurappa warned that a statewide protest will be launched if the police harass BJP workers in connection with the SIR Form 7 issue. He said the police action against party workers must stop immediately and police officers should perform their duties in accordance with the law rather than acting solely to please the government.
Vijayendra said there is no legal provision for registering such FIRs. He urged the DGP not to register FIRs against their workers by succumbing to pressure from the state government. The BJP leader said they would take up a legal battle over this issue and were prepared to take the fight to the streets, if necessary. He said if the police continue to register FIRs, they would resort to laying siege to police stations.
Vijayendra said the police department was currently violating the law by yielding to pressure from the chief minister and the ruling party.
