As BJP seeks K’taka governor’s intervention, Siddaramaiah says national party shouldn’t defend ‘criminal suspect’

The BJP has demanded the suspension of a police inspector who arrested the “kar sevak” on December 29, 2023.

The party also submitted a memorandum to Governor Thawarchand Gehlot seeking his intervention. “The arrest comes 30 years after the unfortunate incident and the accused Srikanth Poojari was in his 20s at the time of the Ram Mandir-Babri Masjid demolition. While the Hubbali Dharwad police commissioner has labelled it as a routine police procedure, there are apprehensions that this is a clear attempt to harass BJP activists and create an atmosphere of fear among Hindu activists and BJP workers,” BJP state president BY Vijayendra wrote in the memorandum.

“The timing of the arrest, just weeks before the historic consecration of the grand temple in Ayodhya on January 22, is extremely disturbing. It raises questions about the intention behind reopening a case after 30 years, especially when the nation is gearing up for a momentous occasion,” the BJP leader further wrote.

The BJP’s protests came on a day when Srikanth Poojari moved a bail application in a Hubbali court. He had featured in rowdy lists in two Hubbali police stations until June 2023 and was involved in 15 bootlegging, betting and rioting cases, according to records released by the Congress.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his deputy, DK Shivakumar, and police officials in Hubbali have insisted that Poojari’s arrest was routine in long-pending cases that are taken up under the supervision of courts where the cases are pending.

“They are desperately clinging to the arrest of a criminal suspect in Hubballi to lead their baseless charge. BJP leaders need to understand that assigning caste and religious labels to criminals is extremely dangerous,” Siddaramaiah said.

“When the BJP government was in power in the state, the Lokayukta police arrested Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and sent him to jail. Is the Hubballi criminal suspect any greater Hindu or devotee of Rama than Yediyurappa? So, was the government at that time anti-Hindu?” he said. “It should not have come to a point where a national party has to defend a criminal suspect. If any BJP leaders have a little wisdom, they should please read out the list of charges against this person from Hubballi and then decide whether to fight for him.”.

“Are they saying that people accused of crimes should be allowed to go scot-free? Are they defending the case of an innocent person or someone who is accused of a crime? We do not indulge in vengeance politics, but when there is a crime then the process of law has to be followed,” Siddaramaiah said.

Commissioner of Police Renuka Sukumar said, “We have to follow due procedures that are laid down by the law. We will function according to the law. There are things that the police department has to do in cases and this is being done.”

Srikanth Poojari among 36 arrested in pending cases.

Srikanth Poojari is among 36 people arrested in 2023 in long-pending cases in Hubbali on the direction of courts, the government said in a statement. He is among 13 people named in the 1992 rioting case, in which five of the accused have died, five have been acquitted and three including Poojari had not been brought to trial, according to the police.

Among those arrested in 2023 in Hubbali in long-pending cases, only Poojari is accused of rioting. The others are alleged thieves, sex traffickers, drug dealers, cheats and people wanted over road accidents.

The rioting case against Poojari pertains to a complaint filed by Hajratsab Maliksab Angadi, who alleged that his petty shop and the shops of others were burnt down on the night of December 5, 1992, by unknown people.

The Hubbali Town police investigated the case and filed a chargesheet against 13 people in 1993. In 1995 five of the accused were acquitted while those who were absconding were named in a split chargesheet.

One of the absconding accused, Raju Dharmadas, 61, was issued a notice by the police in 2017 and he moved court for anticipatory bail. He was also sought to be arrested by the Hubbali police in December 2023 but was released on bail by a local court.

“Under the category of long-pending reported (LPR or LP) cases a Hubbali court issued non-bailable warrants against three persons who were reported as absconding in the 1992 case. One of the accused, Raju Dharmadas, appeared in court on December 18 and obtained bail. Srikanth Poojari was arrested on December 29 and sent to judicial custody,” Congress spokesperson Ramesh Babu said. “The BJP is politicising a routine arrest carried out in the course of law. It is attempting to capitalise on this issue for the Lok Sabha polls.”