Hate speech Row: K'taka Police file case against Sri Rama Sena founder

The Karnataka Police have booked a case against Sri Rama Sena founder Pramod Muthalik for hate speech against people of other religions, police said on Friday.

The case had been lodged with the Hubballi Upanagara police station under the IPC Sections 153 (A) for promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race and 295 (A) for deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings.

The complaint in this regard has been lodged by Assistant Commissioner of the City Corporation Chandrashekara Gowda.

Muthalik had delivered the hate speech at the Idgah Maidan during Ganesh idol immersion procession. Earlier, the celebration of Ganesh festival at the Hubballi Idgah Maidan was opposed by the Anjuman-e-Islam, a religious body in the court. However, the court had quashed the petition. The civic body had permitted the Ganesh festival to be celebrated for three days in Idgah Maidan.

Talking to the media, Muthalik had stated those who oppose Ganesh festival are anti-nationals. "The ill-intention of Anjuman organisation has come out in the open. They conspired to partition the country. Hindu community has the capacity to install the Ganesh statue in mosques. Even the prayers could be disrupted. We will approach the court not to permit namaz at Rani Channamma Idgah maidan. This is not Pakistan or personal property," he had stated.

The Ganesh statue was installed at the Idgah Maidan on September 19 and immersed in waterbody on September 21.

Earlier Remarks

Earlier, Pramod Muthalik had said that Hindu activists have been killed in both BJP as well as Congress government. Pramod Muthalik said that after the Congress government came to power in Karnataka there is an anti-Hindu atmosphere in the state. However, when BJP was in power, the Hindu activists were living under fear as well.

"BJP was demolished in the state. The Congress leaders are with Muslims," Muthalik told reporters. He said that BJP leaders are 'nalayaks' (useless). "If you (BJP) had stood with Hindu activists, we would have celebrated BJP. What fact finding will you do? You blame Congress and carry out dramas," Muthalik said.

He asked Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar why in the Jain pontiff murder case he has not taken the name of the second accused who is a Muslim. "Why did you take the name of a Hindu accused? We are not going to leave this matter. We will teach a lesson. The Congress appeasement policy has only increased," he said.

"What does it mean by stringent punishment? The system is not right. The accused will come out from prison in one year. The Uttar Pradesh model should be followed here and the accused persons houses should be razed in Jain pontiff case," Pramod Muthalik demanded.

"Cruelty is cruelty and whoever may be the accused, his house should be razed," he said. Talking about allowing Nimaz in Vidhana Soudha, he stated that the state legislature is neither Makkah nor Madina.

"Do they think it is Makkah or Madina, this is a dangerous mindset. Vidhana Soudha is a sacred place. You give permission to perform Nimaz. This thing is communal and this is what we fight for," Pramod Muthalik said.

(With inputs from IANS)