BJP makes Khanjar Galli a ‘grave’ issue, demands removal by November 18

 

The city witnessed a major communal clash at Khanjar Galli and Khadak Galli recently followed by news that the City Corporation was planning to demolish the grave. A section of city corporators were allegedly putting pressure on authorities for its removal contending that the grave was located in corporation's land. People from two different communities indulged in a clash which resulted in the loss of property and vehicles besides leaving many people including police officials injured.

 

Mr Angadi, at a joint press conference with several top leaders of BJP in Belagavi said he had given November 15 as deadline to the district authorities to remove the grave. Pointing particularly at Deputy Commissioner N Jairam, Police Commissioner S Ravi and City Corporation Commissioner V Prabhu, Mr Angadi said, the trio should shift to other places by getting transfers if they were unable to take measures as per law to get the grave removed. He urged authorities to initiate measures before the people launched more protests against their inaction.

 

Former MLA Abhay Patil blamed the lawlessness in the city to lack of coordination between DC, police commissioner, tahsildar and City Corporation commissioner stating that the problem would have been resolved had the four worked out in tandem. “The corporation commissioner is unwilling to take action even after tahsildar submitted a report to him on the grave. The land on which the grave belongs to City Corporation as per records,'' he said.

 

MLA Sanjay Patil said the corporation officials who hastily demolished even the small encroachments made by people in the city were not taking any action against people who raised such an illegal grave on government's land. The MLA said the BJP leaders were not in favour of taking law into their hands by removing the grave themselves but urging the government to do the same to avoid the consequences.

 

According to sources, the tahsildar of Belagavi has submitted a report to the district authorities clarifying that the land on which the grave is located belongs to City Corporation. The corporation was actually planning to establish a parking spot by removing the grave weeks before the communal clash took place at Khadak Galli. Since then, the authorities have been reluctant to get the grave removed.