FIR against BJP Belthangady MLA Harish Poonja for 'Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah behind 24 murders' remark

MANGALURU: An FIR has been registered against BJP MLA Harish Poonja after a video of him allegedly accusing Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah of "murdering 24 Hindus" went viral.
Poonja, elected MLA from Belthangady in Dakshina Kannada district for the second time in the recent elections, made the controversial statement during a victory celebration at Belthangady on May 22. The audio and video clips of the speech, in which he strongly criticised Hindu workers who campaigned for Congress during the elections, had gone viral on social media.
"You sought vote for Siddaramaiah, who got 24 Hindu activists killed. You sought vote for Congress, which is proposing to ban Bajrang Dal," he had allegedly said in the speech.
Dakshina Kannada SP Dr Vikram Amathe confirmed that the FIR has been registered against Poonja at the Belthangady police station based on a complaint by Namitha K Poojary, a Mahila Congress activist. The complainant has demanded action against BJP worker Jayanth Kotian for organising the programme.
In the complaint, Namitha has accused the MLA of spreading communal hatred and attempting to destroy peace in society. Puttur city municipal council member Mohammed Riyaz K said the allegations were false and demanded thorough investigation into the incident.
Congress has condemned the incident and urged police to act against the BJP MLA. KPCC functionary Prathiba Kulai said she will meet the IGP on Thursday, seeking action against Poonja for allegedly speaking ill of another senior party leader and his family.