Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)
Bengaluru, Aug 18: Harish Bangera from Gopady village, Koteshwar near Kundapur, who had been put behind the bars in Saudi Arabia, has succeeded in getting freed from Saudi Arabian prison. He reached Bengaluru on Wednesday August 19.
Bangera had been arrested on the charge of making contemptuous remarks about Mecca and the Saudi King on Facebook. He spent 19 months in a jail in that country for no fault of his, before getting released, thanks to efforts made from various quarters.
Union minister for state for agriculture and farmer welfare, Shobha Karandlaje, had said that all the processes for Bangera's release and return to homeland had been completed and he was to fly to Bengaluru from Dammam, Saudi Arabia on August 17.
It is gathered that a fake account was opened in the name of Harish Bangera and objectionable material about the Saudi king was posted therein. The Saudi police who believed that Bangera had created the post, had imprisoned him. In the meanwhile, his wife, Sumana, who came to know the plight of her husband, had informed the media about the fact that her husband was a victim of a conspiracy and sought help for his release.
The district police who registered the said complaint in the CEN police station here, had arrested two Muslim brothers from Moodbidri. During the investigation it came to light that a fake Facebook account had been opened in Harish's name and that he had no connection with this account. The information so collected had been provided to the Saudi Arabian government and these things played a stellar role in securing his release. Many people including family friends of Harish, social activist Dr Ravindranath Shanbhag, Shobha Karandlaje, former minister K Jayaprakash Hegde, MLA Halady Srinivas Shetty, police officers and politicians had tried their best to secure his release.
Bangera's family, friends and well-wishers were present in large numbers at Bengaluru airport when he reached there from Saudi Arabia on Wednesday morning.