Karnataka right-wing activist and cow vigilante Puneeth Kerehalli was placed under preventive arrest and remanded in judicial custody for 14 days on Wednesday after he refused to provide an undertaking to a magistrate, saying he would not engage in activities that could disturb public peace or societal harmony, the Bengaluru police said.
According to a police statement, Kerehalli, who is facing charges in 14 cases, was detained by the Basavanagudi police under Section 127 (security for good behaviour from persons disseminating certain matters) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) as a precautionary measure. The section authorises executive magistrates to demand good behaviour bonds from individuals who disseminate material or engage in activities that could incite disorder or threaten public peace. Those refusing to do so can face judicial custody for up to a year.
When he was produced before the special executive magistrate for the south division, Bengaluru, Kerehalli was asked to guarantee he would not disturb public peace or societal harmony. His refusal to do so led the magistrate to order his judicial custody, the police said.
Kerehalli runs Rashtra Rakshana Pade, a self-styled right-wing outfit, and is an accused in the murder of cattle trader Idrees Pasha in Ramanagara district in April 2023. Earlier, he was in the news for launching campaigns against halal items in Karnataka and banning Muslim traders from Hindu temple fairs.
A native of Hassan district, in December last year, Kerehalli was assaulted in Bengaluru after he allegedly made derogatory comments against the late Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar. However, he later denied the charges.
Meanwhile, a cook who allegedly planned to kill Kerehalli was arrested in Arasikere town. Siraj Ali Baig, a resident of Arasikere, was arrested after a video went viral on September 8, where he is purportedly seen telling his associates that they should kill Kerehalli and activist Gopi Gowda.
The Arasikere town police arrested Baig under sections 196 (promoting disharmony, enmity, or hatred between different groups based on religion, race, place of birth, language, caste, or community), 109 (attempt to murder) and 57 (abetting the commission of an offense by the public or by more than ten persons) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Baig is in police custody.