Karnataka Mutt head arrested for assaulting a Muslim

Kalaburgi, Karnataka: On charges of assaulting a Muslim man, the police on Monday night arrested the head of Karuneshwara Mutt in Jevargi taluk. Siddalinga Swamy is also an honorary president of Sri Ram Sene, who has been taken into 10 days of custody awarded by a local magistrate.

A case was registered based on the complaint by a man, Nizamuddin, on October 14. Siddalinga in an attempt to resist the arrest was absconding. On his return to Mutt on Monday, police officials went to the scene and held him, The News Minute reports.

When people came to know about his arrest, they starting to prevent the police to take him by arriving in tractors from different villages. They even had a clash with the police, four policemen including the Assistant SP Lokesh Kumar were injured during the incident while vehicles were also damaged.

According to the Deputy Superintendent of Police (Rural), SS Hullur, the accused was facing other charges as well, including one for delivering a hate speech during Ganesh festival.

“However, he [Siddalinga Swamy] had obtained bail in the earlier cases. We arrested him in a latest case in which he was charged with assaulting the complainant and demolishing his small hotel in Andola village,” he said.

Police registered three cases and arrested thirty-nine people in reference to the violence.