Siddalinga Swamy, head of Karuneshwara Mutt at Andola in Jevargi taluk, Kalaburagi district, and honorary president of right-wing outfit Sriram Sene, was arrested on Monday night on charges of assaulting a person belonging to a minority community.
Following a complaint by Nijamuddin, a case was registered against the swamy on October 14. The accused was absconding to avoid the arrest. When the swamy returned to mutt on Monday evening, a police team led by Superintendent of Police N. Shashikumar went to mutt and took the accused into custody.
Situation at Andola turned tense when followers of the accused, who had arrived in seven tractors from different villages, opposed the arrest and attempted to deter police from discharging their duties. Later, more people at Kellur Cross attempted to stop the police vehicle ferrying the accused and pelted stones at it. The police were forced to resort to mild caning to disperse the mob. Two policemen were injured in the incident. In a third incident, a mob damaged a North East Karnataka Road Transport Corporation bus by pelting stones at it at Jiratagi village.
Meanwhile, the local magistrate remanded the accused to judicial custody for 10 days.
Speaking to The Hindu , S.S. Hullur, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Rural), said the accused was facing a couple of more cases, including one for delivering hate speech during Ganesh festival targeting a religious community with intent of disturbing communal harmony in society.
“However, he [Siddalinga Swamy] had obtained bails in earlier cases. We arrested him in a latest case in which he was charged with assaulting the complainant and demolishing his small hotel at Andola village,” he said.
The police have registered three cases and nabbed 39 people. Various sections of Indian Penal Code including section 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), sections 143 and 144 (unlawful assembly with deadly weapons), sections 147 and 148 (rioting with deadly weapons) and sections of Indian Penal Code, Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act were invoked against the offenders in these cases. In the Andola case, section 307 (attempt to murder) was also invoked.
Heavy police force was deployed at Andola and Jevargi towns to ensure no untoward incident take place. Alok Kumar, Inspector General of Police (North Eastern Range) had camped in Jevargi.
