Mangaluru : The Dakshina Kannada district unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday demanded a high-level probe into Tuesday’s incident wherein the Police Inspector of Mangaluru Rural Police Station was sent on leave for arresting an accused in a crime.

In a statement here, district unit president K. Pratap Simha Nayak said that it is an alarming situation wherein an officer who had arrested an accused was asked to go on leave due to political interference.

He said that the BJP had repeatedly been claiming that the Police Department in the district was not being allowed to function independently due to political interferences.

Mr. Nayak alleged that Congress leaders are not allowing the police to take action against timber mafia, sand mafia, accused people in murder cases.

The BJP’s claims have come true with Tuesday’s incident, he said.

He said that people have been talking about Congress leaders’ role in Tuesday’s incident and hence, there is a need for a comprehensive probe. The government should take the issue of policemen coming onto the streets in support of the officer and conduct a high-level probe.

A situation has come where there is no safety in jails and even for policemen in Dakshina Kannada, Mr. Nayak alleged.

In a release, the former Minister J. Krishna Palemar alleged that Congress leaders were on the one hand busy “fixing” Hindu leaders in criminal cases and on the other, attempting to “protect” criminals. Due to political interference, the police have become helpless in discharging their duties. Senior police officers should understand their responsibilities and stop buckling under political pressure; otherwise, similar public outbursts could become common in the district, Mr. Palemar warned.