Karnataka: BJP launches ‘I am a Karsevak, arrest me too’ campaign after Hindu activist Srikant Poojary is held in 31-yr-old case

The campaign came a day after the BJP staged protests across Karnataka over the arrest of Poojary in a 31-year-old arson case at Hubballi which took place a day ahead of the Babri Masjid demolition in December 1992.

On Thursday morning, Kumar arrived at Sadashivanagar police station with the placard, ‘I am a Karsevak, arrest me too’, and staged a demonstration. Speaking to reporters, Kumar said the Siddaramaiah government was comparing devotees of Ram to criminals. “The government is justifying the arrest of Poojary by calling him a criminal… Due to such behaviour, it appears that the government is dead for Hindus,” he said.

The campaign, Kumar said, would continue across the state in the coming days.

Poojary was arrested Friday by the Hubballi-Dharwad police in connection with the 1992 case, where he is among the 11 accused. The BJP had used the arrest to target the Congress government in the state, accusing it of targeting Hindu activists ahead of the inauguration of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya.

The state government has maintained that the arrest was part of a routine process to track the accused in old cases. As the BJP intensified its protest, the Congress released a list of cases against Poojary, which included illicit liquor, gambling, and other cases, apart from arson and rioting.