VIJAYAPURA: A complaint has been filed at the Gol Gumbaz police station against Vijayapura City MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal for allegedly making provocative and derogatory remarks against Islam and Prophet Muhammad during a Ram Navami programme in Hubballi recently.
The complainant, Mohammad Hannan, a resident of Vijayapura, alleged that Yatnal, addressing a gathering in Hubballi on April 7, made an unfounded and offensive statement claiming that “Mohammed the Prophet was born in the house of Bala Saheb Thackeray”.
The statement hurt the religious sentiments of Muslims, he stated.
The complainant said the remarks may disrupt peace and social harmony and constitute a punishable offence under Sections 196 (statement intended to hurt religious sentiments), 299 (intentionally insulting with intent to cause breach of peace), and 353 (incitement with intent to cause communal riot) of the BNS.
The complaint stated that the speech was broadcast on several platforms, including the official YouTube channels of prominent Kannada news outlets.