Friday, May 10

“Tries To Spread Hatred”: Karnataka Minister To BJP MP Tejasvi Surya For Communalising Bengaluru Shopkeeper Attack

Edited by Shibu NK
Tries To Spread Hatred": Karnataka Minister To BJP MP Tejasvi Surya For Communalising Bengaluru Shopkeeper Attack

A contentious exchange has erupted between Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Tejasvi Surya and Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao following the alleged attack on a shopkeeper in Bengaluru. Tejasvi Surya, Member of Parliament from Bangalore South, in a tweet, asserted that the assault on a Hindu shopkeeper playing bhajans was perpetrated by anti-social elements objecting to the playing of bhajans during the time of ‘azaan,’ blaming Congress’s appeasement politics for emboldening such elements.

However, the minister and Congress leader, Dinesh Gundu Rao rebutted Surya’s claims, accusing him of attempting to sow seeds of discord. Mr Rao questioned Mr Surya’s narrative, highlighting that the assailants were both Hindus and Muslims, and challenging the assertion that the altercation was religiously motivated. He called Surya’s remarks a reflection of “gutter and cheap politics.”

The incident in question, as per the police report, unfolded over a dispute regarding loud noise from a portable speaker. The Halasuru Gate police arrested three individuals—Suleman, Shah Nawaz, and Rohit—aged between 20 and 25, for allegedly assaulting Mukesh, the shopkeeper of Krishna Telecom in Cubbonpet, reported Deccan Herald.

According to senior officers, the daily said, the altercation began when six suspects approached Mukesh, demanding that he lower the volume on the portable speaker. A heated argument ensued, escalating into a physical confrontation captured on unverified CCTV footage from the shop.

An FIR has been registered at the Halasuru Gate police station under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including those pertaining to criminal intimidation, intentional insult, and attempt to murder. The FIR names Suleman, Shah Nawaz, Rohit, Danish, Taruna, and others as suspects.

For this Lok Sabha elections as well, Tejasvi Surya, also the president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, has been named as the BJP candidate for Bangalore South.