KOPPAL: Remarks by Koppal MP K Rajashekhar Hitnal, in which he referred to the rape of a foreign tourist and the murder of another tourist in Sanapur village last year as a “minor incident”, have triggered widespread condemnation across the district.The comments were made during the ‘Discover Koppal’ programme held at the district administration office on Wednesday night, organised jointly by the Union Ministry of Tourism (Bengaluru unit) and the District Tourism Committee. While addressing the gathering, Hitnal described the Sanapur rape-murder as a “minor incident”, saying such incidents should not occur as they harm tourism prospects. He repeated the remark during his speech, drawing shock and disapproval from several attendees. The statement sparked resentment, with political leaders, organisations and members of the public strongly objecting to the characterisation of the crime. JD(S) state core committee member CV Chandrashekhar termed the remarks irresponsible, saying the MP, instead of focusing on infrastructure development to boost tourism, had downplayed a serious law and order failure. BJP state core committee member Dr Basavaraj Kyavater called the comments shocking and inexcusable, and unbecoming of a person holding a constitutional post. Dr Kyavater said illegal activities had contributed to such incidents and alleged that the seriousness of the crime was being diluted. He also said tourist footfall to the Anegandi region, which earlier attracted over 30 lakh visitors annually, had declined sharply after the crimes.Following the backlash, Hitnal issued a clarification, saying the Sanapur rape-murder cases were serious and painful incidents that should not have occurred. Despite this, the remarks continued to attract strong criticism on social media, with women’s organisations and social activists condemning the statement as inappropriate and demanding a clear apology from the MP.