Bengaluru, Feb 15 (IANS): Karnataka BJP has pulled up the Congress government in the state over the filing of FIRs against two BJP MLAs from Dakshina Kannada district in connection with a protest against a private school for alleged humiliation of Hindu gods.
The matter was raised during the Zero Hour of the Assembly by Y. Bharath Shetty, the BJP MLA from Mangaluru North, who said, "Why didn't the police register a complaint against the teacher who abused Lord Ram? She used derogatory words against Lord Ram in the classroom. I was not present on the spot during the protest, yet an FIR has been filed against me. The police have even imposed non-bailable sections.
“The parents of the students have complained to me that a teacher while taking class for seventh standard students had made humiliating statements against Lord Ram. I had urged the Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI) to take action in the matter. Party MLA Vedavyas Kamath had gone to the school with the parents to stage a protest. They had raised 'Jai Sri Ram' slogans. I had gone to the airport at that time."
Another BJP MLA, Arvind Bellad, said that this is a serious matter.
"What is the exact position of the government in this matter? Don’t we have the right to raise ‘Jai Sri Ram' slogans," he asked.
BJP's leader of opposition R. Ashoka said, "When MLA Bharat Shetty was not even present on the spot, how can an FIR be lodged against him? This government lacks common sense. Who put pressure on the police department to book a case? The concerned inspector must be suspended and his call details should to be retrieved."
Meanwhile, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dinesh Gundu Rao, claimed that no instruction was given to anyone in connection with the case.
“The BJP has only one agenda in the Mangaluru region, which is to stoke communal tension. The legislators made provocative statements in the presence of the students,” Rao claimed, even as BJP legislators objected to the remark.
Earlier on Thursday, Karnataka Police filed an FIR against two BJP MLAs from Mangaluru City in connection with a protest staged to condemn the alleged incident of "humiliation of Hindu gods" at a private school in Dakshina Kannada district.
The case has been lodged against Mangaluru City South MLA D. Vedavyas Kamath and Mangaluru City North MLA Y. Bharat Shetty. The police have also booked VHP leader Sharan Pumpwell, and Hindu activists Sandeep Garodi and Bharat Kumar in connection with the case.
The initial complaint was filed by a person named Anil Gerald Lobo.
The protest was led by BJP MLA Kamath, who reportedly pulled up the school management and the concerned teacher for 'humiliating' Hindu gods. Following the incident, the school management sacked the teacher.
A Congress delegation led by former minister Ramanath Rai had also visited the school.
The alleged incident took place at St. Gerosa Higher Primary School near Jeppu in Mangaluru recently. A teacher, identified as Sister Prabha, had allegedly made derogatory remarks against Hindu gods during a moral science class.
The incident came to light after an audio clip made by a parent and addressed to a VHP leader went viral on social media, leading to protests.