Bengaluru: The Karnataka police have arrested 4 folks — three in reference to the victory celebrations after Congress chief Syed Naseer Hussain’s election to Rajya Sabha on 27 February, and a BJP employee from Mandya district in a two-year-old case — for elevating slogans of ‘Pakistan Zindabad’.
Karnataka house minister G. Parameshwara Tuesday confirmed the developments, and mentioned the “regulation would take its personal course”.
“The person, whoever has shouted (the slogans), has shouted twice. That has been confirmed and based mostly on that FSL (forensic science laboratory) proof has not mentioned who has mentioned that…simply mentioned that it has been confirmed…there is no such thing as a intervention from any aspect and there’s a simple video that they’ve examined and confirmed (sic),” Parameshwara instructed reporters Tuesday in Bengaluru.
The arrests got here per week after the problem gained nationwide consideration with the BJP — the principal opposition celebration in Karnataka — demanding strict motion towards those that chanted pro-Pakistan slogans and pulling up the state’s ruling Congress for enabling such components with its “appeasement politics”. The Bengaluru police had Monday night time issued an announcement saying they’d recognized the accused on the idea of FSL proof, testimonies and different data.
On Tuesday, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya put out a put up on X alleging that the “prime accused in Vidhana Soudha pro-Pakistan sloganeering case is Rahul Gandhi’s shut aide”.
Mohammad Iltaz, prime accused in Vidhana Soudha Professional-Pakistan Sloganeering case is Wayanad MP & Former Congress President @RahulGandhi‘s shut aide.
That is most likely why CM @siddaramaiah took days collectively to maneuver forward within the case.
Pathetic state of regulation & order in Karnataka. pic.twitter.com/1o39TfYBAn
— Tejasvi Surya (ಮೋದಿಯ ಪರಿವಾರ) (@Tejasvi_Surya) March 5, 2024
The Siddaramaiah authorities has not launched the names of these arrested, nor has it made the FSL report public thus far.
Requested whether or not these arrested in reference to the Syed Naseer Hussain victory celebrations within the Vidhana Soudha are Congress employees or related to the celebration, Parameshwara mentioned that solely additional investigation will reveal the small print.
“There are Congress sympathisers, employees, office-bearers…we don’t know something…let the police examine that. Now that the case has been registered and so they have been arrested, produced earlier than the Justice of the Peace, the investigation will go on…what is going to come out of the investigation, I can not say proper now,” he added.
In the meantime, the BJP has demanded that Hussain not be administered the oath to Rajya Sabha till the probe is full.
Former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai mentioned it was unlucky that some members of the state’s ruling celebration had taken the aspect of “anti-nationals”.
“The media clearly confirmed elevating pro-Pakistan slogans however nonetheless the ministers stood by them. It was unlucky that some ministers forgot their positions and stood of their assist. This perspective was fairly harmful,” Bommai mentioned in an announcement Tuesday.
The BJP had accused the Congress of protecting “pro-Pakistan sympathisers” and holding on to the FSL report for a number of days.
With Lok Sabha elections not far away, the BJP has been making an attempt to nook the Congress citing “appeasement politics”.
It had used the identical argument after the blast at Bengaluru’s Rameshwaram Cafe final Friday. The Central Crime Department (CCB) has not been capable of make any main headway within the case and the Nationwide Investigation Company (NIA) took over the probe Monday.
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The Mandya case
The BJP was left red-faced when a two-year-old clip, purportedly of a celebration protest in Mandya, about 100 km from Bengaluru, began to do the rounds on social media.
“One other incident that has come to mild is that in 2022, in Mandya, a BJP employee had chanted ‘Pakistan Zindabad’. The BJP was in energy then however didn’t take motion then. Now once we came upon, we’ve to take motion and one particular person has been arrested. Legislation is identical for everyone,” Parameshwara instructed reporters.
Based on the First Data Report (FIR), lodged on 4 March, three BJP employees have been accused of shouting ‘Pakistan Zindabad’. ThePrint has seen the FIR.
One particular person, recognized as Ravi, has been arrested.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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