Shimoga/Bangalore: A CID inquiry was ordered
and police registered a case of rape today against H Halappa
who quit as Karnataka Minister following a charge of sexual
assault made by his friend's wife.
As opposition mounted pressure for Halappa's arrest, Chief
Minister B S Yeddyurappa announced a CID probe, saying "let
the truth come out. Whoever is guilty, should get punishment".
In Shimoga, police registered a case of rape against
Halappa after the victim formally lodged a complaint.
The FIR would be forwarded to CID in Bangalore, Shimoga
District Superintendent of Police Murugan told reporters.
The Congress staged a day-long dharna in the state
capital and protested in parts of the state demanding the
immediate arrest of Halappa who resigned after a media report
that claimed he had sexually assaulted his friend's wife.
A delegation of Congress leaders called on Governor H R
Bhardwaj and presented him a memorandum demanding dismissal of
the state government and CBI probe into the issue.
Yeddyurappa flayed the opposition for raking up the issue
even after Halappa's resignation and ordering of CID probe and
wondered why the issue was being raised days before next
week's gram panchayat elections when the incident had
allegedly taken place in November last year.
"There is no doubt that it's a conspiracy", State unit
BJP President K S Eswarappa said.
"Police will take action s per law. We will not pre-empt,
we will not prompt or side-track anything" Home Minister Dr V
S Acharya said after discussions with DGP Ajay Kumar Singh.
Halappa has dismissed the charge as baseless and said it
was a political conspiracy to defame him.
PTI
First Published: Monday, May 03, 2010, 23:35