The district administration has filed a case against Sriram Sene founder Pramod Muthalik and others for staging a protest inside the Guru Dattatreya Bababudan Swamy Dargah atop Bababudangiri Hills during the valedictory function of Dattamala Abhiyana on Sunday.
A case has been registered by the Chikkamagaluru Rural police on charges of assaulting a public servant (Section 353 of the Indian Penal Code), obstructing a public servant from discharging duties (Section 186), and disobedience of order passed by a public servant (Section 188). The case has been registered based on a complaint filed by S.G. Nagesh, Deputy Director of Public Instruction, who was deputed as a special officer to the shrine. The accused are Muthalik, Mahesh Kumar Kattinamane, Sharadamma and Mohan Kumar.
Superintendent of Police K. Annamalai, in a press release issued on Monday, said the accused had allegedly staged a dharna in the shrine seeking an opportunity to offer prayers to Datta Paduka, despite being aware of the court’s order on this issue. They attempted to disturb peace and also obstructed other devotees from having ‘Paduka Darshana’. They are also said to have had an argument with the authorities at the shrine.
