Karnataka police on Wednesday arrested right – wing activist Puneeth Kerehalli, who is accused in the alleged murder of a cattle trader in Ramanagara district. Puneeth along with four others were caught in Rajasthan and they were arrested by the police.
According to police, Kerehalli runs ‘Rashtra Rakshana Pade’ a right-wing organization. He had also organized campaigns against halal meat and sought a ban on Muslim traders at Hindu temple fairs in the past.
His arrest comes four days after he went absconding. Puneeth is accused of killing Pasha and assaulting his two associates — Syed Zaheer and Irfan — for transporting cattle. Pasha was chased, assaulted and killed by a gang of Hindutva extremists led by Puneeth on March 31. Through videos posted on social media, Puneeth has been known for using a stun gun to inflict pain during his ‘cow vigilante’ outings, and Pasha’s body also had burn marks on it.
Puneeth has been photographed with top Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in Karnataka. He and four others were booked by the police under Sections 302 (Murder), 341 (wrongful restraint), and 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of the IPC, based on a complaint lodged by Pasha’s family members. The FIR stated that although Pasha had documents to prove that the cattle he was ferrying was from the local market, Puneeth and his gang continued to threaten him. They even demanded a fee of Rs 2 lakh to release him and threatened to kill him if the amount wasn’t paid.
