The Mangaluru police arrested one person and took three others into custody for issuing a life threat to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, veteran BJP leader B.S. Yediyurappa, and Muzrai Minister Shashikala Jolle, and for making statements creating communal tension over the temple demolition episode at Nanjangud in Mysuru district.
The Barke police of Mangaluru have arrested Dharmendra, a resident of Urwa, while Rajesh Pavitran, Prem Polali, and Sandeep Shetty Adka are being questioned. In addition, the police have named Kamalaksha Padil, Sudhakar Shetty, Praveen Shetty, and Ullas as accused in the FIR registered following a complaint filed by Lohith Kumar Suvarna, State president of Akhila Bharat Hindu Mahasabha.
They have been booked Sections 120(B) (criminal conspiracy), 153(A) (promoting enmity between different groups), 505(2) (statement conducing to public mischief), 506 (criminal intimidation), 465 (forgery), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 469 (forgery for purpose of harming reputation), and 149 (unlawful assembly).
In the complaint, Mr. Suvarna stated that despite removing Dharmendra, Rajesh Pavitran and other accused persons from the Akhila Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, they had continued to misuse the forum’s name, issued statements in public and made defamatory posts on social media. He had come to Mangaluru from Bengaluru four days ago to file a complaint.
Dharmendra, Polali and four others had held a press conference on Saturday claiming to be Mahasabha office-bearers and issued a statement using the forum’s letterhead condemning the action of the BJP government with regard to the temple demolition issue. They had gone on to state the following: “When the Mahasabha did not spare Mahatma Gandhi and killed him to safeguard attacks on Hindus, what makes the Chief Minister, Yediyurappa and Ms. Jolle think we will spare you?”
The statement by the accused is tantamount to creating unrest among communities and questioning the credibility of the judiciary, Mr. Kumar said, making it clear the Mahasabha was not associated in any way with the statements made.
Mr. Kumar said Rajesh Pavitran and Sandeep Shetty had conspired with the other accused to hold the press conference. Pavitran, who has claimed to be president of the Mahasabha’s State unit, is an accused in a honeytrap case registered in Mangaluru city’s Barke police station. He was also an accused in a case of issuance of death threats registered in Kavoor police station and in a police station in Bengaluru.
Police Commissioner N. Shashi Kumar told reporters on Sunday that the police were verifying facts, including whether the accused had any meeting before holding the press conference.
