Karnataka right-wing activist deported from hometown, supporters allege discrimination by Congress government

Karnataka: Right-wing activist Akshay Rajput deported from hometown; Supporters allege it is a continuation of the Congress government's anti-Hindu policy.

A right-wing activist was arrested and deported from his home in Karnataka's Dakshina Kannada district on April 24 after being booked for several allegations.

The right-wing activist, Akshay Rajput.

Akshay Rajput, a member of the right-wing outfit Hindu Jagarane Vedike, from Vitla Taluk of the district, was arrested by local police from his house on April 24 night and also deported to Haveri district on the same day, which right-wing organisations allege is a continuation of the anti-Hindu policy of the Congress government in Karnataka.

Rajput, who has worked across pro-Hindutva organisations, such as the ABVP, Bajrang Dal, and the Hindu Jagarana Vedike, has been booked by police in Vitla Taluk, Bantwal, Dakshina Kannada district, under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including sections 120(b), 34 and 307 - for criminal conspiracy, criminal act done by several persons with common intention, and even attempt to murder.

A district court order accessed by Hindustan Times also directed Rajput to be deported from his hometown in view of the alleged criminal charges.

“I have been forcefully shifted to Haveri by police. All these cases have been lodged against me with Congress government in power, six of them in 2019 and one recently during its current regime,” Rajput said.

The Karnataka High Court recently stayed proceedings in the case, Rajput said.

Postcard News founder Mahesh Vikram Hegde booked for fake news again

In a similar instance, authorities have also booked Mahesh Vikram Hegde, the founder of news website Postcard News, who currently runs TV Vikrama, for allegedly spreading “fake news”. Cops came down hard on Hegde after a recent video from his media site, which was detailed on a fake newspaper cutting, made rounds.

The paper cutting sported a headline saying “We do not need Hindus, Muslim votes are enough for us: Siddaramaiah”, which the video conveyed was fake. The allegations made against Hegde and the relevant sections he has been booked under are currently unclear.

“The Congress party trying to sue me based on this video. In this video we have said that the information published against Siddaramaiah in the news piece is false. A similar piece of fake news was circulated in the name of BJP National General Secretary BL Santhosh ahead of the last assembly elections and we made a program that both this news and that news on Siddaramaiah were false,” Hegde said.

“We have said that false news, slander, fake messages etc should not be sent against anyone, such things should not exist in the society. However, some people in the ruling party are misusing their power and trying to file a false case against me,” he added.

Hegde also took to social media to narrate the ordeal.

The Siddaramaiah-led Congress regime in Karnataka has been vocal about their stance on fake news, having set up an Information Disorder Tackling Unit (IDTU) to take a strict action against those who spread misinformation in the state. CM Siddaramaiah allotted ₹10 crore to this unit in his most recent budget.

Notably, the CM also lodged a police complaint in April over a fake news story and accused "the miscreants supported by the unholy alliance of BJP and JD(S) of fabricating a piece of disinformation mimicking a report from the Kannada newspaper."

The police booked several BJP supporters, specifically former CM BS Yediyurappa's supporters, and other right-wing activists for posting a purported news report on their Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp handles, official sources had said.