Bengaluru : A coalition of civil society activists and legal professionals in Bengaluru has lodged a formal complaint with city police, demanding immediate preventive action against self-styled cow vigilantes—particularly targeting Puneet Kerehalli—accused of illegally entering Muslim households during the sacred occasion of Eid-ul-Adha, reported the Hindu.
The complaint highlights incidents of criminal trespass and intimidation in several Muslim-dominated neighbourhoods, including Tannery Road, Ahmednagar, and Shivajinagar. These alleged intrusions were reportedly carried out under the pretext of “cow protection,” with the aim of inciting communal unrest and disturbing religious observance.
Prominent signatories of the complaint include advocates B T Venkatesh, Clifton Rozario, Maitreyi, Vinay Sreenivasan, and Dr. Sylvia Karpagam, along with social activists Syed Tousif Masood and Zia Nomani. They stressed that the city’s law and order situation remains precarious, especially after the recent stampede at an RCB event.
One of the main individuals named in the complaint is Puneet Kerehalli, who is already out on bail in the lynching case of Idrees Pasha. The activists cited two videos uploaded by Kerehalli on Facebook—one showing him entering the premises of a Muslim family housing cattle and goats, and another showing him confronting local residents while attempting to seize animals.
The complainants are demanding the preventive detention of Kerehalli and others involved, under relevant sections of the CrPC or the Karnataka Goonda Act, for at least three days to avoid potential escalation of communal tensions during the festival period.
Despite physically submitting their complaint to the offices of DCPs West, East, and North, activists allege that no formal acknowledgment was given—citing the Eid holiday and absence of key officials as reasons for the delay. They have now escalated the matter via email to senior authorities, including the Police Commissioner, Home Secretary, and the Chief Minister’s Office of Karnataka.
Calling for clear and immediate directives to curb such unauthorized actions, the activists warned, “We don’t want Bengaluru to go the way of Dakshina Kannada,” referencing the coastal district’s troubled history of communal violence.
