Temple demolition: Three more arrested for issuing death threat

Mangaluru: The Mangaluru city police have arrested three more people for allegedly misusing the name of

Akhila Bharatha Hindu Mahasabha

(ABHM) and issuing threatening statements at a press meet in the city.

City police commissioner

N Shashi Kumar

said based on a complaint filed by Lohith Kumar Suvarna, state president of Hindu Mahasabha and a resident of Bengaluru, eight people were booked in a case filed at the Barke police station on Saturday.

Four people have been arrested so far. The complainant claimed that the accused were expelled from the organisation and were holding press conferences by misusing the organisation’s letterhead. Further, he demanded action against those who held the press meet for threatening the chief minister, former CM and others over the demolition of a temple at Nanjangud in Mysuru district. The accused had in a press meet allegedly threatened the CM saying that they will not allow temple demolitions. “When we didn’t spare Gandhiji, who are you,” they allegedly threatened.

The police on Monday arrested Rajesh Pavithran, 40, Sandeep Shetty Adkaru, 40, from Kulai and Prem Polali, 48 from Bantwal.

On the sidelines of the arrest, City police commissioner N Shashi Kumar on Monday said that the case has been taken seriously as they spoke flippantly against Mahatma Gandhi in an attempt to destroy society’s health. “We didn’t spare Gandhiji, who are you?,” they had threatened constitutional functionaries and VIPs.

Following this, Dharmendra, 53, from Urwa who was arrested on Sunday. He was also booked by Ullal police in 2019, after pictures of him celebrating Nathuram Godse’s birthday went viral.

Meanwhile, a case is pending in the court against Rajesh Pavithran for throwing 10 eggs on actor Prakash Raj who was in Mangaluru and returning after attending a programme on December 22, 2017. He is also an accused in a honeytrap case in Barke Police station limits, and has a case against him in the Bajpe police station for protesting against airport officials. Also, Sandeep was booked for torching a vehicle about nine years ago. The search for the rest of the accused directly or indirectly involved in the case is on.