Home Minister Parameshwara rejects BJP charge of deteriorating law and order in Karnataka

Bengaluru: Karnataka Home Minister Dr. G. Parameshwara on Monday strongly rejected allegations by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that law and order in the state had collapsed under the present Congress government.

Speaking in the Legislative Assembly during the debate on the motion of thanks to the Governor’s address, he presented detailed crime statistics to counter the opposition’s claims.

Responding to Leader of Opposition R. Ashok and senior BJP MLA Araga Jnanendra, Parameshwara said the opposition leaders seemed to have forgotten the law-and-order situation during their own tenure as Home Ministers.

Quoting official data, he pointed out that between 2011 and 2013, when R. Ashok was the Home Minister, the state recorded 4,121 murder cases, 582 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, and 995 cybercrime cases.

During the tenure of Basavaraj Bommai as Home Minister in 2019–20, there were 2,554 murders, 8,317 NDPS cases and 19,157 cybercrime cases. Similarly, under Araga Jnanendra’s period as Home Minister, the state saw 2,417 murders and 24,486 cybercrime cases.

“After I took charge as Home Minister, the number of murders has come down to 1,322. These figures clearly show that crimes have not increased in the last two years. The opposition is making baseless allegations without studying facts,” Parameshwara said.

He further stated that the state government had declared an all-out war against drug trafficking and would not compromise on the issue under any circumstances. Giving details of drug seizures, he said that in 2023, police confiscated 10,630 kg of ganja worth ₹133 crore.

In 2024, 6,136 kg worth ₹264 crore was seized, and in 2025, 6,219 kg worth ₹308 crore was recovered. Parameshwara added that awareness programmes against drug abuse had reached more than 16 lakh students across the state.

Police officers have been strictly instructed to prevent the sale and manufacture of narcotics within their jurisdictions, he said. On the issue of illegal immigrants, the Home Minister asserted that Karnataka was performing better than many other states in maintaining internal security.

“Illegal immigrants enter the country mainly through the eastern borders, especially via Kolkata. Border security is the responsibility of the Central government,” he remarked.

He also provided statistics on deportations, saying that in 2021, 15 illegal immigrants were deported, followed by 21 in 2022, 68 in 2024 and 87 in 2025. So far, 196 people have been deported, while another 370 individuals have been identified and legal procedures are underway to send them back.

Special drives would be launched in districts such as Chikkamagaluru, Hassan, Kodagu and Bengaluru to identify and deport illegal immigrants, he added.

Concluding his reply, Parameshwara said the government was fully committed to maintaining peace and order in the state and would continue to take strict action against crime, drugs and illegal activities.

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