Bengaluru, 20 Nov

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday appeared to justify the killing of Maoist leader Vikram Gowda in an encounter with the Anti-Naxal Force (ANF), noting that he faced multiple criminal cases and also chose to ignore the government's direction to lay down arms and join the mainstream.

Home Minister G Parameshwara said Gowda was carrying "deadly" weapons, and rejected calls for a probe into the killing.

Had the ANF not shot him, he would have fired at all of them, Parameshwara said, as he rejected any suspicion surrounding his killing on Monday.

"There is a standing order. We have said that if they (Naxals) surrender they will be given all the facilities. He (Gowda) did not surrender. Kerala government had announced Rs 25 lakh reward on him, our government had announced Rs 5 lakh reward," Siddaramaiah said, in response to a question on some "intellectuals" expressing doubts about the encounter. "You should appreciate it (the encounter). Should Naxalism remain or go?" the Chief Minister asked.

Speaking to reporters, Parameshwara said there are more than 60 cases against Gowda, including murder charges.

"He (Gowda) was carrying a deadly weapon, an automatic machine gun-like weapon. If they (ANF personnel) did not shoot him, he would have fired at them. So I'm told that he was shot at first sight. So there is no need to suspect anything," he said.

To a question on some "Leftists" allegedly targeting the government over the encounter saying that there is no "difference" between Congress and BJP, Parameshwara said it is not the question about the two political parties. -PTI