Bangaluru: Bharatiya Janatha Party (BJP) on Friday staged a protest against the killing of its worker from J.C. Nagar named Santosh and demanded that probe into the murders of all Hindu activists be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Shobha Karandlaje, general secretary, BJP and MP, Udupi-Chikkamagaluru, charged that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy for what she termed “insensitive behaviour”.

“Mr. Siddaramaiah instead of visiting the house of Santosh and consoling the family, attended a dinner party at minister’s house. Ramalinga Reddy seems to have turned a sleuth himself. Even before the investigation begins, he has announced the murder was not a political murder,” she said.

Former deputy chief minister R. Ashoka alleged that the administration was being partial in criminal investigations and biased against Hindus.

Hours before the protest, BJP state president B.S. Yeddyurappa visited the victim’s house and consoled the bereaved family. After handing over a cheque for 1 lakh as compensation to the family, he assured the family of ensuring Santosh’s wife gets a government job when BJP comes to power. Coming down heavily on the series of murders of BJP workers in the state, he said law and order had collapsed in the state and the government was clearly biased against Hindus.