Karnataka witnessed two separate political developments on Saturday, with Union Minister and JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy urging motorists to stop paying toll on the NICE Road over alleged irregularities in the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project, while Home Minister Priyank Kharge appealed to people not to conduct "self-styled investigations" into migrants or share sensitive information on social media.
Addressing a press conference at the JD(S) headquarters in Bengaluru, Kumaraswamy demanded that the Karnataka government immediately take over the entire NICE project and stop toll collection. Referring to the Karnataka High Court's July 29 judgment on alleged irregularities in the BMIC project, he said the court's observations warranted immediate government intervention.
Kumaraswamy claimed the High Court had described the project as one of the biggest scams in the state and had indicated the need for an independent investigation by a specialised team and a forensic audit of its accounts. He also alleged that NICE had violated provisions of the framework agreement, accumulated more than 20,000 acres of land as a land bank and failed to properly compensate some farmers whose land was acquired for the project.
He further alleged that toll rates had been revised several times without prior approval from the state government. Kumaraswamy also questioned an NOC issued by NICE to a developer for construction near NICE Junction in Hosakerehalli, Bengaluru, and sought clarity over the ownership and use of the land.
Kumaraswamy appealed to motorists not to pay toll on the NICE Road and gave the state government two weeks to stop the collection, warning that the JD(S) would launch an agitation if no action was taken. He also referred to recommendations of a House committee headed by Congress MLA T.B. Jayachandra, claiming that it had recommended government takeover of the project, a CBI probe into alleged irregularities and the recovery of land under NICE's control for returning it to farmers.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge urged citizens not to take the law into their own hands while dealing with suspected illegal migrants. He warned against conducting independent investigations, recording videos and posting information on social media, saying such actions could compromise ongoing operations and alert international networks.
Kharge asked people with information about suspected illegal immigrants or unauthorised activities to approach the police or concerned authorities directly instead of making the information public.
He said the state government had identified and traced around 1,000 migrants from different countries, including Bangladesh and African nations, over the past three months and handed them over to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) for further action. He added that the state was coordinating with the Border Security Force (BSF) and FRRO and would take strict action against those found to be staying in Karnataka without valid authorisation.
Kharge's remarks come amid intensified police verification drives in Bengaluru to identify suspected illegal immigrants and check their documents. He appealed to citizens to cooperate with law enforcement agencies and warned that vigilantism and moral policing would not be tolerated.
