Karnataka cow vigilante Puneeth Kerehalli booked for using stun gun on cattle transporter
Though Kerehalli’s social media handles had videos of the alleged assault, police chose to arrest Aleemulla Baig, for ‘illegal cattle transport’, and not the cow vigilante.
3 min read
Hindutva activist Puneeth Kerehalli. (File PhotoO Days after arresting him on murder charges, police have booked Hindutva activist Puneeth Kerehalli for allegedly assaulting a cattle transporter and using a stun gun to torture him. The incident took place 11 days before Kerehalli and other cow vigilantes allegedly killed Idrees Pasha on Bengaluru’s outskirts.
The complainant against Kerehalli, Aleemulla Baig, was arrested on charges of illegal cattle transport under the Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Cattle Preservation Act 2020 after being intercepted and handed over to police by the cow vigilantes. After his release on bail, Baig lodged a complaint against Kerehalli for the torture he allegedly suffered.
In his complaint to the Electronics city police, Baig alleged that as he was travelling on Hosur Road with cattle, Kerehalli and his associates stopped his vehicle and beat up the driver, Rafiq. They also beat up Baig and administered electric shocks using a stun gun. The torture continued for almost an hour, during which Kerehalli and his associates hurled abuses at Baig and shouted that “the police won’t but we will give you treatment”.
Though Kerehalli’s social media handles had videos of the incident, police did not take any action against him but arrested Baig for the alleged illegal transport of cattle. Baig did not report the assault earlier as, he said, Kerehalli had threatened him with dire consequences.
The Electronics City police have now booked Kerehalli and his associates for assault, wrongful restraint and criminal intimidation, among other offences. They are waiting to get the custody of the accused, currently being held by the Sathanur police in the Pasha murder case.
Kerehalli and his associates allegedly attacked Pasha (39) and two of his associates on March 31. Pasha died during the attack and the preliminary investigation revealed that he had died of cardiac arrest. However, police think the accused might have used a stun gun on Pasha, leading to the cardiac arrest. They are waiting for a forensic science laboratory report.
The victim’s brother Yunus Pasha told The Indian Express that he had found burn marks on his brother’s chest after his body was recovered. “I think Idrees was assaulted badly and then given electric shocks to kill him. The police officials are not telling us anything,” he said.
Over 1,000 deaths in the US from 2000 to 2018 were linked to the use of stun guns, specifically Tasers, by an online tracker for deaths involving Tasers in the US that was created by Reuters. No death linked to stun guns has been recorded in Karnataka.
You May Like
