BENGALURU: With his name appearing in a petition filed at the High Court in connection with the alleged Dharmasthala mass burial case, actor Prakash Raj on Wednesday admitted that Chinna CN, the complainant, had contacted him on phone and that he had immediately informed this to Special Investigation Team (SIT) chief Pronab Mohanty.
Chinna claimed that Raj had instructed him to follow the directions of activist Girish Mattannavar and offered a hug if he did so. Raj said he never met Mattannavar.
“As a social activist, I was concerned about the deaths linked to the Dharmasthala case. We also pressured the government to form an SIT and requested that a competent officer be appointed to lead it. Mohanty was selected to head the team,” he said.
Gave audio of Chinna’s call to SIT same day: Prakash Raj
According to Raj, before Mohanty took charge of SIT, he received a call from Mattannavar. “He told me that a man (linked to the case) wanted to speak to me.
The person spoke in Tamil and I had heard that he was from Mandya. During the conversation, Chinna said he wanted to meet me. I asked him why he wanted to meet me and what information he had. I told him that SIT is already investigating the matter. I asked him to record whatever he knew and send it to me,” Raj said.
He said soon after the phone call, he informed his lawyer about it and contacted Mohanty the same day. “I sought an appointment with him and personally handed over the recording. Mohanty thanked me for sharing that information and said it would be investigated,” Raj said. A few days later, Raj said, he contacted Mohanty again to inquire about the progress of the probe.
“Mohanty told me not to take any more calls. I have spoken to him (Chinna), but now he has changed his version. It is true that Chinna called me. I only wanted to know the truth in the Soujanya death case. I handed over all the information I had to SIT. I am a law-abiding citizen,” Raj said.
Responding to allegations that he was anti-Hindu, Raj said, “Certain sections of the media made such claims. I have met Veerendra Heggade. He is a wonderful person. People who have no affection for Dharmasthala have twisted my statements. There is no political motive behind my questions.” Several reports claimed that Rs 200 crore had been invested from Kerala to defame Dharmasthala.
“I do not know whether Chinna actually made such a statement or not, but many media houses have reported it. At the same time, some sections of the media have written judgmental stories about how much money Prakash Raj received and branded me as anti-Hindu,” he said.
‘Questioning BJP is not questioning Hindu dharma’
On the allegations of being anti-Hindu, Prakash Raj sought to know why his critics focused on his views instead of raising concerns about larger issues such as financial irregularities and human rights violations.
He said whenever he raised issues such as demonetisation, delimitation, price rise and governance, he was labelled as anti-Hindu. He alleged that certain groups were more interested in targeting him rather than addressing issues affecting the people. He said BJP is a political party and questioning a political party is not the same as questioning Hindu dharma. “Narendra Modi is an elected representative from Varanasi. His party is in majority in the Lok Sabha and elected him as PM. Questioning PM Modi is not questioning Hindutva,” he said.
Will join anti-Bidadi township stir: Prakash
Actor Prakash Raj said that he will participate in the protest against the proposed Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township (GBIT), also known as Bidadi township project, after studying the issue in detail.
Raj said he had participated in several protests in the past and will take part in this agitation also. Before joining the agitation, he will first study the issue thoroughly and also those leading it, he added.