Karnataka minister Munirathna booked for hate speech

The Karnataka police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against state minister, Munirathna Naidu for his alleged hate speech against the Christian community.

The case was registered against Munirathna, who is the Horticulture Minister of the state, following a complaint by a gazetted Election Commission officer who charged him promoting enmity among the people.

The minister had in an interview to a news channel on March 31 said that Christians are converting people at this moment also. Conversion is maximum in the slums. IN places where 1,400 people are there, 400 have been converted. "If they come to convert then hit them and send them back."

The Rajarajeshwari Nagar police had booked the politician from the RR Nagar under Section 117 (abetting Commission of offence), 153A (promoting enmity between various groups or religion) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 125 of People's Representation Act (Promoting enmity between classes in connection with election).

This is the second major controversy that is being reported since the election process in Karnataka began.

On March 31, Bangalore Rural Congress MP, D K Suresh had urged the police to book Munirathna as a police complaint was filed against him for inciting hatred between Kannadigas and Tamil.

In the purported video, the minister was seen urging locals in his constituency in Tamil to attack anyone who sets foot there and that he will protect them.

He later on clarified and said that he was only asking the people not to entertain those who have not helped in the past many years.

Munirathna is a film producer turned politician, who has in the past stirred a controversy with his film studio, Vrushabhadri Productions. He had applied to register the movie title 'Uri Gowda, Nanje Gowda,' which promoted two characters as brave Vokkaliga soldiers who killed Tipu Sultan. However the opposition has rubbished these claims. Following threats, Munirathna held a meeting with Adichunchanagiri seer Nirmalananda Swami, the religious head of the Vokkaliga community and said that he had decided to shelve the project.