Plaint against Pragya Thakur: K'taka Police issue notice to Tehseen Poonawalla to join probe

Bengaluru, Dec 28

Karnataka Police have issued a notice to the complainant Tehseen Poonawalla, a venture capitalist and political analyst, to join the inquiry in the case of his complaint against BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur, police said on Wednesday.

Poonawalla had lodged a complaint against the BJP MP from Madhya Pradesh in connection with an alleged blasphemous speech against the minority community during her recent visit to Karnataka.

Poonawalla lodged the complaint through his social media account with Shivamogga Superintendent of Police G.K. Mithun Kumar. The complainant had also attached a copy to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

The notice has been sent by the Kote police station in Shivamogga to Poonawalla through email to attend the inquiry.

Pragya Thakur had participated in the Hindu Jagarana Vedike's South Annual Convention organised in Shivamogga city on Sunday and visited the residence of Bajrang Dal activist Harsha, who was hacked to death for spearheading a campaign against hijab.

The complaint alleged that Pragya Singh Thakur made a highly blasphemous and derogatory speech against the minority community while speaking at the function. She had asked people to give a befitting answer to 'love jihad' in the same fashion.

She further asked Hindus to take care of their girl children and keep weapons at home. If there is no weapon at least keep the knife used to cut vegetables sharp. They had killed our Harsha with a knife. They have used knives to kill Hindu activists, we have to keep our knives sharpened to face any eventualities. If our knife cuts vegetables well, it can be effective on our enemies as well.

The complainant stated that Sadhvi Pragya Thakur's speech was an open call for use of arms leading to mob violence against the minority community. "It is further submitted that the said speech has the potential effect of intolerance, hatred, violence inter alia against a particular community which is an offence.

He had urged the police to register case against Pragya Thakur under IPC Sections 153 a for promoting enmity between religions, 153-b for assertions prejudicial to national integration, 268 for public nuisance, 295-a for deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings, 504 for intentional breach of peace and 505 for statement conducing to public mischief.

The state is heading for the election in less than three months. The videos of Pragya Thakur's speech have become viral on social media.