Bengaluru: Cow vigilante Puneeth Kerehalli enters Muslim homes on Eid, activists demand action
Bengaluru: Lawyers, researchers, and social activists have urged the Bengaluru police to take preventive action against murder-accused cow vigilante Puneeth Kerehalli, following the circulation of videos showing him unlawfully entering Muslim households in the city during Eid-ul-Adha.
Kerehalli, affiliated with the Hindutva outfit Rashtra Rakshana Pade, uploaded videos on 4 and 6 June from areas with significant Muslim populations, including Tannery Road, Ahmednagar, and Shivajinagar. In these videos, he is seen entering homes and claiming to be "rescuing" cows allegedly brought for slaughter. Eid-ul-Adha, observed from the evening of 6 June, sees animal sacrifice as a part of religious practice.
In one of the 30-minute videos, Kerehalli is seen entering a house and filming cattle and goats, stating that “this is happening in every Muslim household.” A man identified by him as a police officer appears briefly, asking him to leave, but Kerehalli continues filming and making political accusations. In another video, he and his associates argue with locals in Ahmednagar over cattle.
Civil society members including advocates BT Venkatesh and Clifton D’Rozario, Dr Sylvia Karpagam, and activists Syed Tousif Masood and Zia Nomani submitted a complaint to senior police officials, demanding Kerehalli’s preventive detention under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) or the Goondas Act. They highlighted the threat of communal unrest triggered by such acts of vigilantism.
The complaint noted that despite police presence in the videos, no immediate action was taken to restrain Kerehalli. The activists stressed that enforcing the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act, 2020, is the responsibility of the police, not private individuals.
Kerehalli, who is the main accused in the March 2023 murder of cattle transporter Idrees Pasha in Ramanagara, continues to post such videos frequently. He has previously called for a boycott of Muslim vendors and opposed the sale of halal meat. Despite being a repeat offender, authorities have been slow to act, with officials reportedly declining to accept the latest complaint, citing the Bakrid holiday.
To ensure record of the complaint, copies were sent via email to the Commissioner of Police, top state police officials, Chief Secretary to the CM, Home Minister, and Bengaluru in-charge Minister DK Shivakumar.
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Barber held for beating man to death over 'bidi' in east Delhi
New Delhi (PTI): A 32-year-old barber was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly beating a man to death following an altercation over a 'bidi' in east Delhi's Pandav Nagar area, police said.
A call regarding the incident that occurred near the bus stand road in Shashi Garden was received at 1.24 am, they said.
The victim was identified as Deepak (28), while the accused was Manoj, he added.
According to the police, during an argument, the accused picked up a wooden stick lying nearby and struck the victim repeatedly on the head. Multiple injuries and bruise marks were also found on the victim's forehead.
"Deepak was taken to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital, but doctors declared him brought dead," an officer said.
An FIR has been registered and further investigation is underway, the officer added.
