Within hours after the murder, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Minister K.S. Eshwarappa not only blamed “Muslim goondas” for the murder of Hindutva activist Harsha in Shivamogga, but also alleged that the recent statements of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president D.K. Shivakumar on the saffron flag issue had “instigated” the perpetrators of the crime.
Referring to Mr. Shivakumar’s recent statements on saffron flag being hoisted from a flagpole in a college in Shivamogga, Mr. Eshwarappa said, “Mr. Shivakumar misled people by spreading false information that the national tricolour was lowered to hoist the saffron flag on the college campus.” “Such statements embolden goondas to commit heinous crimes,” he said.
