Congress Forms Panel to Probe 'Surge in Communal Tensions'

Karnataka's ruling Congress has formed a seven-member committee to investigate the recent surge in communal tensions across the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, and Uttara Kannada.

- HT Correspondent

BENGALURU:

The panel, announced by deputy chief minister and state Congress president DK Shivakumar, has been tasked with submitting a report within a week.

"The committee will be led by Rajya Sabha MP Syed Naseer Hussain and includes KPCC working president Manjunath Bhandary, MLA NA Haris, Congress office-bearers Roji John and VR Sudarshan, and former ministers Kimmane Rathnakar and Jayaprakash Hegde," read an official communication.

The formation of the panel comes amid reportedly growing concerns over communal violence in coastal Karnataka, where a series of recent incidents—including the murder of a 32-year-old man in Bantwal taluk—have sparked alarm.