Karnataka hate speech: VHP functionary’s anticipatory bail plea rejected

A case was filed against Sharan Pumpwell under the Indian Penal Code’s Section 295A (deliberate and malicious intention of outraging religious feelings)

A sessions court in Karnataka’s Tumkuru district on Tuesday rejected a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) functionary’s anticipatory bail plea in an alleged hate speech case.

The bail was rejected on Tuesday. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Sharan Pumpwell was booked over his speech in which he said Mohammed Fazil, a Muslim man, was killed in front of other Muslims in retaliation to the murder of Praveen Nettaru, a member of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s youth wing last year.

Fazil was hacked to death. “We killed Fazil in public view in Surathkal. You must have seen the video of how brutally he was murdered. That is our power,” Pumpwell said. He also referred to the 2002 Gujarat riots and said the Hindus “did not sit at home.”

A case was subsequently filed under the Indian Penal Code’s Section 295A (deliberate and malicious intention of outraging religious feelings).

Fazil’s father, Farook, lodged a complaint with the police seeking action against Pumpwell under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.