BENGALURU: High drama unfolded outside the Bannerghatta police station on Friday night after the police arrested cow vigilante and right-wing activist Puneeth Kerehalli for allegedly trespassing into a house and threatening the owner for renting it out to migrant tenants. On Saturday, a court granted him bail.
As per a police complaint filed by Siddesh, a resident of Doddathoguru, the incident occurred on January 13 when Puneeth Kerehalli and his associates trespassed into his house. Kerehalli allegedly abused and threatened Siddesh for renting out his house to migrant workers, whom he suspected to be Bangladeshis.
Based on Siddesh’s complaint, Kerehalli was arrested on Friday night and produced before the court on Saturday, which granted him bail, the police said. His associate Nagendrappa was also arrested for urging people to take part in the protest in the locality.
On Saturday, hundreds of Kerehalli’s supporters gathered outside the police station before he was produced in court and raised slogans against the police and the ruling Congress government.
On Friday, members of the Campaign Against Hate Speech submitted a petition to the Police Commissioner, seeking action against Kerehalli for repeatedly entering migrant workers’ dwellings and sheds, questioning their nationality, demanding identity documents, and threatening and intimidating them.