BENGALURU: Members of the Campaign Against Hate Speech submitted a petition to the DG&IGP’s office, seeking action against right-wing activist Puneeth Kerehalli for intimidating and questioning migrant workers, besides unlawful entry and police complicity — with request for FIR, arrest, investigation and presentation for bail cancellation. The petition was submitted on Friday.
Puneeth has been repeatedly entering migrant worker dwellings and sheds, interrogating them about their nationality, demanding identity documents and issuing threats. These actions are illegal, undermine the dignity and safety of workers, and risk provoking mob violence.
In videos uploaded on his official YouTube channel and social media, Puneeth is seen holding a protest and shouting slogans at night, calling residents “illegal migrants” and “Bangladeshis”, shooting videos without their consent, and intimidating them along with a group of men.
Puneeth is communalising the situation and instilling hatred by branding them “illegal migrants”. He is intimidating police and insisting they conduct an inquiry in his presence, and not in the police station. He demands and collects Aadhaar cards of residents without authorisation, the petition said. In the video, his associates are seen threatening the FRRO to send migrants out, or they would also be sent outside the country.
The complaint points out that such videos are promoting religion-based hatred and creating social tension, and his conduct poses a grave threat to the dignity, privacy and lives of the workers. Referring to recent incidents of assault and lynching across the country based on suspicion of people being Bangladeshis, the petition warns that similar incidents could unfold in Karnataka as well.
The members also demanded that an FIR be registered, and called for a departmental inquiry into the role of police personnel who were present during such incidents. They urged the police chief to issue statewide directions to prevent individuals from conducting any form of citizenship verification.