The BJP leaders have accused the State government of failing to maintain law and order, saying it was ineffective in dealing with a clash between two groups on Saturday in front of a copying centre in Puttur, following a skirmish over damage to a document given for copying.In a post on X, Union Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje said, “Fanatical elements assaulted a Hindu woman in broad daylight and then brazenly entered a police jeep, in the presence of police officers, to continue the attack on Saturday. Such audacity by the accused can exist only when criminals believe they enjoy political protection. Mr. (Priyank) Kharge, you have completely failed to maintain law and order in Karnataka.” She added that Hindu women were being attacked, criminals were operating without fear, and the people of Karnataka were paying the price.Ms. Karandlaje further accused the Congress government of protecting criminals. Cases against criminals were being withdrawn, and now citizens were suffering because of fanatical, anti-social and anti-national elements, who believe they have the government’s backing. Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar cannot escape responsibility. “When criminals openly defy the police, it is a complete failure of your administration,” she tweeted.The Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, R. Ashoka, said the incident serves as a stark mirror of the dismal state of law and order in Karnataka. “If citizens lack safety even in the presence of police, what might the security situation be like for ordinary people?” Thanks to the government’s policy of appeasing Muslims, a serious question arises whether the mindset of fanatical and rowdy elements was that they could do whatever they wanted with the government and local representatives protecting them. “Instead of engaging in hate-driven politics against the RSS, the State’s Home Minister should turn his attention to the law and order situation crumbling across the state,” he tweeted.MLC C.T. Ravi said that under the Congress regime, fanatics, who had set fire to police stations and attacked MLAs, were now attacking ordinary citizens. The confidence of these fanatics might stem from their belief that the Congress government would withdraw cases tomorrow, or from an assurance by Home Minister Priyank Kharge, who constantly speaks against the RSS, that they could do whatever they pleased.Mangaluru City North MLA Y. Bharath Shetty, former BJP State president Nalin Kumar Kateel, and the State BJP also tweeted on similar lines‘Simple incident’Dakshina Kannada CPI(M) District Secretary Muneer Katipalla said a simple dispute between customers and shop owners had flared up into a communal dispute as the parties involved were Muslims and Hindus. The dispute, which otherwise would have been resolved amicably, has led communities to stand in support of the groups on communal lines, creating a tense situation. The incident was a sad reflection of the deterioration of the mindset of people because of communal politics, he posted on Facebook. Published - August 23, 2026 08:14 pm IST