Rajeev Jayaswal, New Delhi
Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday criticised the Congress-ruled Karnataka government for allowing atrocities against the downtrodden, particularly Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), citing a recent incident in Belagavi, where a 42-year-old woman was assaulted and paraded naked.
“In @INCIndia there is no ‘nyay’ for the SCs and STs. The recent incident in Belgavi, Karnataka falls in the same category as those repeated atrocities against the Dalits seen till recently in Congress-ruled Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. For Congress the downtrodden are just a votebank,” she posted on X.
Her post also contained a detailed note on the incident and observations of the Karnataka high court.
“In a very shocking incident, on the intervening night of 10th and 11th December 2023, a 42-year-old woman was stripped naked, paraded and assaulted after being tied to an electric pole in Karnataka’s Belagavi district after her son eloped with a girl,” the note said.
“This incident has significantly amplified concerns regarding the effectiveness of law enforcement and the overall state of law and order in Karnataka,” it said.
On Friday, Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) national president JP Nadda condemned the incident and constituted a five-member fact-finding committee.
Karnataka home minister G Parameshwara has assured strict action against the culprits.