Siddalinga Swamy, head of Karuneshwara Mutt, Andola in Jevargi taluk, Kalaburagi district, and honorary president of Sri Ram Sene, was arrested on Monday night on the charge of assaulting a person belonging to a minority community.
Following a complaint and rejoinder statement lodged by Nizamuddin, a case was registered against the swamy on October 14. The accused was absconding to avoid arrest. When the swamy returned to the mutt on Monday evening, a police team, led by Superintendent of Police N. Shashi Kumar, went to the mutt and took the accused into custody.
The situation at Andola turned tense when followers of the accused, who had arrived in seven tractors from different villages, exchanged heated arguments with the police opposing the arrest and made an attempt to deter the police from discharging their duty.
Later, another group of people stopped the police vehicle carrying the accused at Kellur Cross and threw stones at it. The police had to resort to a mild lathi-charge to disperse the crowd. Four policemen, including Assistant Superintendent of Police Lokesh Kumar and Circle Inspector of Chittapur, were injured and a couple of vehicles were damaged in the incident. In the third incident in Jiratagi village, a group of people damaged a public transport bus belonging to North Eastern Karnataka Road Transport Corporation with stones.
Meanwhile, the local magistrate remanded the accused in judicial custody for 10 days.
Speaking to The Hindu , S.S. Hullur, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Rural), said that the accused was facing a couple of other cases, including one for delivering a hate speech during the Ganesh festival targeting a religious community with the intent of disturbing communal harmony in society.
“However, he [Siddalinga Swamy] had obtained bail in the earlier cases. We arrested him in a latest case in which he was charged with assaulting the complainant and demolishing his small hotel in Andola village,” he said.
The police have registered three cases and arrested 39 people. Various Sections of Indian Penal Code, including Section 353 (Assault or using criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging his duty), Sections 143 and 144 (unlawful assembly with deadly weapons), Sections 147 and 148 (rioting with deadly weapons) and Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act have been invoked against the offenders in these cases. In the Andola case, Section 307 (attempt to murder) has also been invoked.
Heavy police force was deployed in Andola and Jewargi towns to ensure no untoward incident would take place. Alok Kumar, Inspector-General of Police (North Eastern Range), camped in Jewargi. Sources in the police said that the situation was under control both in Andola and Jewargi.
