VHP leader booked for ‘instigating’ unrest after Dakshina Kannada bandh over activist’s murder

Mangaluru (Karnataka), May 5 (PTI) A case was registered against Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Sharan Pumpwell for allegedly instigating unrest following a bandh call in Dakshina Kannada on May 2, said police.

Police said that following the murder of Hindutva activist Suhas Shetty on May 1, Pumpwell’s followers allegedly resorted to stone-pelting at government buses in various areas, leading to public unrest and damage to public property.

Pumpwell had issued a bandh call during a press conference late on the night of May 1.

While normal vehicular movement continued, a few shops across the city were shut, according to a police statement.

The incident reportedly triggered communal tension and disturbed public peace in the city.

An FIR has been registered at the Mangaluru East Police Station under sections, including 353(2) (statements conducing to public mischief), 196(1)(b) (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc), and 324 (mischief) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, police said, adding that further investigation is underway. PTI CORR AMP SSK KH