Mangaluru: In the final hours leading up to the Lok Sabha elections in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka, a contentious pamphlet circulated by the 'Bunta Brigade' has stirred controversy.

Titled 'Appeal to Bunta voters to ensure victory of Brijesh Chowta of our community', the pamphlet urges members of the Bunta community to rally behind BJP candidate Captain Brijesh Chowta, raising concerns about potential domination by the "Shudra class".

The pamphlet highlights the historical rivalry between the Bunta and Billava communities, with Captain Brijesh Chowta representing the former and Padmaraj Pujari of the Congress representing the latter. The pamphlet speaks about the critical challenge BJP faces in securing votes from the Billava community, traditionally a stronghold of the Congress.

Drawing attention to the perceived threat of Shudra caste rule, the pamphlet questions whether the self-respecting Buntas can tolerate the rule of Shudras. It accuses Janardana Pujari, a former parliamentarian from the Billava community, of diminishing the influence of the Bunta society through his political and business endeavours.

The pamphlet calls for concerted efforts within the Bunta community to ensure the victory of their candidate, emphasising the importance of countering potential vote-buying tactics employed by rival parties.

It urges the Bunta community to mobilise its resources and influence to sway voters towards the BJP, warning against the repercussions of allowing a Shudra candidate to assume power.

The controversial content of the pamphlet has sparked condemnation, with many denouncing its divisive rhetoric and caste-based appeals.

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Ahmedabad (PTI): The Ahmedabad police have arrested a 29-year-old man who allegedly posed as a senior revenue official and used fake letters claiming to be from various government departments to cheat people, an official said on Sunday.

Mehul Shah, an engineer who manages two schools at Vankaner in Gujarat’s Morbi district, is accused of making lakhs of rupees with bogus documents and false claims, said inspector (crime branch) JK Makwana.

Shah had forged an appointment letter from the Ahmedabad district education officer (DEO) to offer a computer operator’s job in a government office to a complainant’s son. He also introduced himself as a trustee of a school and did not pay a man Rs 7 lakh due to him over the painting of a school building, the official said.

“Despite holding no official position in the state or central government, he used fake work permits and NOCs to cheat people of lakhs of rupees,” the police official said.

One complainant alleged that Shah identified himself as a top revenue department official and produced a fake letter from the chairman of the “department of science and research development” to make him install a siren and curtain in a hired vehicle but did not pay for the job, he said.

Bogus letters claiming to be from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ahmedabad DEO were used by the accused to cheat the complainants, the police official said.

Police have recovered from his possession fake identity cards and letters with headings like “bharat gaurav ratna shri samman council”, “chairman of department of science and research development”, “health and family welfare department”, and “road and building department”.

“The FIR is based on complaints by three victims. We appeal to the people to come forward and submit their complaints if they have been cheated by Shah in any way,” Makwana said.