– Mohammed Atherulla Shariff
Bengaluru: A notorious criminal Puneeth Kerehalli, an accused in lynching of a cattle trader Idrees Pasha in Mandya last year, now on bail, has been arrested for allegedly making derogatory remarks against and threatened to kill Minority Affairs minister Zameer Ahmed Khan.
Kerehalli, who has close connectivity with BJP leaders and other Hindutva outfits, has 12 criminal cases against him.
BS Ashok, a close associate of minister Khan, in his complaint stated that Kerehalli posted derogatory comments targeting Khan on social media on November 1. The police have registered a case under Section 299 (outrage religious feelings) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
In his complaint, Ashok shared the link to a Facebook video, which shows Kerehalli calling Khan a ‘Turka’ and ‘Arabic tali’, which translates to a person of Turkish or Arabic origin.
Ashok also alleged that Kerehalli gave a death threat to Khan. Kerehalli dared Khan to visit Hassan or Mandya and call HD Kumaraswamy a ‘kariya’ (Kannada for black). Kerehalli made offensive remarks about Khan’s parentage, Ashok’s complaint stated.
Last week, Khan called Kumaraswamy ‘kaalia’ (black person). Khan justified the remarks, saying he affectionately called Kumaraswamy ‘kariya’, and would in turn be called ‘kulla’ (Kannada for short). Khan later apologised.
