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The arrest of 60-year-old Hindu activist Srikanth Poojary by the Karnataka Police in Hubbali on Friday, 31 years after a case was filed against him in connection with the 1992 riots in the lead-up to the Babri Masjid demolition, has sparked a political slugfest in the state.
While the BJP has linked the issue to the upcoming Ram Temple inauguration in Ayodhya and accused the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government of being anti-Hindu, the Congress and the police claim it was part of a routine drive by the police to dispose of pending cases.
The BJP has now announced state-wide protests against the arrest on January 3. Party state chief B Y Vijayendra said the Congress action had reminded people that it is “anti-Hindu”. “Arresting Poojary at a time when crores of Hindu activists are eagerly awaiting the inauguration of the Ram Temple reflects the anti-Hindu stance of the Congress,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly R Ashok is expected to lead protests in Hubbali-Dharwad while protests have also been planned at Freedom Park in Bengaluru.
Poojary’s arrest was based on a case of arson reported at Hubballi, a day before the December 6, 1992 demolition of the Babri Masjid by kar sevaks.
A complaint was filed by Hajratsab Maliksab Angadi at Hubli (now Hubballi) Town Police Station, saying that several shops, including his, had been set on fire on December 5. Angadi alleged he had suffered losses to the tune of Rs 80,000 due to the arson on his premises, from which he ran a betel nut and tobacco business.
The FIR in the case was filed against more than 10 people, with Poojary accused number 3. The accused were booked under Sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house) and 427 (loss or damage property) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). A chargesheet in connection with the case was filed in 1993.
Raju, Ashok, Shanmukha, Gurunath, Ramachandra and Amruth, among others, were named as accused in the case along with Poojary.
Raju, in a 2017 plea for anticipatory bail, contended that a false case was foisted against him while the other co-accused were tried and acquitted. He and several other accused were subsequently granted bail.
Sources said Poojary and one other accused were declared absconder after they failed to appear before court.
Manjunath Poojary, Srikanth’s son, said a few policemen took his father from his house saying he needed to be interrogated in connection with a few cases. “I was shocked and went to the police station with him. After reaching the spot, I came to know that it was connected to a rioting incident in 1992. As my father’s both hands have been operated on, I requested the police to release him on station bail, but they produced him before court, which sent him to judicial custody,” he said.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter) to slam Poojary’s arrest and accusing the Congress of “shamefully arresting an elderly Hindu kar sevak in a 31-year-old fake case”, the BJP Tuesday said: “As Hindus celebrate the Ram Mandir, the Congress’s cowardly move reflects their refusal to accept the reality of the Ram Mandir. This witch hunt against Hindus is highly condemnable.”
State Home Minister G Parameshwara said the government was not targeting anyone and was acting according to law. “A total of 32 pending cases were opened and cleared. He (Poojary) was arrested, like others, during the process of clearing pendency,” he said.
The police too said Poojary’s arrest was part of a routine process. “We have in the past nabbed people who have been absconding for 30-40 years. We have arrested accused involved in 37-old cases over the past two months. The accused in the 1992 riots case was also arrested in the same manner,” Renuka Sukumar, Commissioner of Police, Hubballi-Dharwad, said.
In the past too, Hubbali has been the centre of tension and is often seen as the entry point of the BJP into the state’s political arena. On August 15, 1994, BJP leader Uma Bharti defied a curfew imposed by the then Veerappa Moily-led Congress government and reached the Idgah Maidan in Hubbali to hoist the Tricolour, sparking riots in which 30 people were killed. The firing by the police led to the death of six people.
The Idgah, often referred to as mini-Ayodhya, also grabbed limelight in 2022 after the then municipal corporation decided to hold Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations at the site. The Anjuman moved the Karnataka High Court, which granted permission to hold the festivities.
