BENGALURU: The arrest of a Bengaluru-based journalist by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which is probing an alleged forged letter in the name of Home Minister MB Patil, has sparked a political slugfest between ruling and opposition parties in the state.
The alleged forged letter claiming that the attempt to get separate religion status for the Lingayat community was made on the directions of senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi had surfaced during the 2018 assembly elections. It was again circulated on social media platforms just two days before the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in the state. Patil had termed it a “forged letter” and a case had been lodged with the police.
“During the investigation, S A Hemanth Kumar, special correspondent with Uday India, a Delhi-based English and Hindi magazine, has been arrested based on credible evidence corroborated by oral statement,” a statement issued by the CID said. He was produced before the court on Saturday and remanded in police custody till Tuesday.
The BJP took exception to Hemanth Kumar’s arrest and accused the Home Minister of “misusing” the police department to target the party’s supporters. “After participating in a TV debate, Hemanth Kumar had come to the BJP office on Friday evening. CID officers barged into the party office and arrested him without giving any notice. We do not even know what are the charges against him,” said BJP state general secretary and MLA Aravind Limbavali.
Senior BJP leaders, including Limbavali and legislators Suresh Kumar and N Ravi Kumar met the state police chief and expressed concern that BJP supporters are being “targeted by the police on the directions of the Home Minister”. They said Hemanth Kumar is targeted by the police as he is a BJP supporter.
“If the state police continue to do the same, we will have to protest against it and also complain to the central government,” Limbavali said.
“This is not the first time. The police had earlier questioned Mahesh Vikram Hegde in the same case and arrested Shruthi Bellaki, wife of a BJP leader from Dharwad district for posting a video on social media,” he said.
Suresh Kumar termed it a political vendetta by Patil. “We will fight against this injustice and also take it up with the Centre. Patil had earlier tried to divide the Lingayat community and now he is misusing his authority,” he said.
Patil, however, rubbished the allegations. “I have not interfered in the investigation. The fake letter was first circulated during assembly elections in 2018 and it was removed after we complained to the Election Commission. Again it is being circulated and a complaint was filed. The DG&IGP transferred the case to CID and they are probing it,” he said when contacted.
Patil said after the EC imposed restrictions on publishing the “fake letter”, Bellaki posted the video on social media and she was arrested by the police. “She is not a student, but a member of the BJP and she did it knowing fully well that the EC had imposed restrictions on it,” Patil said.