Puneeth Kumar alias Puneeth Karehalli, a cow vigilante, was arrested for allegedly quarrelling with the security staff for decorating a Christmas tree and charging ₹200 entry fees at a mall in Byatarayanapura, police said on Monday.
According to police, Puneeth Karehalli, who is also the leader of Rashtra Raksha Pade, and his associates visited Asia Mall and confronted the staff about the Christman tree decoration and the entry fee. They also sought clarification on whether similar kinds of grand decorations were carried out for Hindu festivals. Furthermore, they insisted that the upcoming inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on January 22, 2024, should be adorned in a similar manner.
Allegedly dissatisfied with the mall staff’s responses, Puneeth and his associates threatened to stage a protest outside the mall if their demands were not met. Following the altercation, security guards escorted Puneeth and his companions out of the mall. Upon exiting, the group reportedly shouted “Jai Shri Ram” near the mall, declaring that no one should patronise the establishment. They also allegedly issued threats to disrupt the mall during the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
“Puneeth and his accomplice visited the mall, started quarrelling with the mall’s security staff for decorating the Christmas tree in the mall, we have requested him to talk with mall management about celebrating Hindu festivals similarly,” Asia Mall security assistant Manager Stephen Victor told reporters. “Puneeth and his associates abused mall security staff and threatened them, and raised religious slogans,” he added. He even called upon the other customers not to visit the mall, he said.
{{/usCountry}}“Puneeth and his accomplice visited the mall, started quarrelling with the mall’s security staff for decorating the Christmas tree in the mall, we have requested him to talk with mall management about celebrating Hindu festivals similarly,” Asia Mall security assistant Manager Stephen Victor told reporters. “Puneeth and his associates abused mall security staff and threatened them, and raised religious slogans,” he added. He even called upon the other customers not to visit the mall, he said.
{{/usCountry}}“On the complaint of the security staff, we have registered a case against Puneeth Kerehalli and four others under sections 143 (unlawful assembly) 149 (common object to part of unlawful assembly) 341 (wrongfully restraining) 506 (threat to life) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC),” Kowshik, sub-inspector of Kodigehalli police station told HT. He said Puneeth was produced before an additional chief metropolitan magistrate court on Sunday. He said we are investigating the case to nab other accused in the case.
Puneeth has more than 12 criminal cases against him and he was also booked under the Goonda act by Bengaluru police on August 11. He was later released from the state high court on September 18, due to lack of evidence.