Belagavi, 19 Jan

Karnataka Police has registered a case against seven people, including Maharashtra-based Hindu leader Harshita Thakur, for allegedly hurting religious sentiments during a procession linked to an “Akhanda Hindu Sammelana” at Machhe village in Belagavi taluk.

According to a complaint filed by Abdul Khader Mujawar, the procession was taken out ahead of the conference on Sunday evening.

When it reached near the Ansari Dargah, Thakur, standing on the bonnet of a vehicle, wearing saffron attire and raising pro-Hindu slogans, allegedly signalled the vehicle to halt and made gestures resembling the act of shooting an arrow towards the dargah. The complainant alleged that the act hurt the religious sentiments of his community.

The complaint further claimed that Thakur delivered a provocative speech at the conference with the intention of inciting religious sentiments.

Based on the complaint, police registered the cases against seven people including the organisers of the event, Supreet Simpi, Shrikant Kambale, Bettappa Tarihal, Shivaji Shahapurkar, Gangaram Tarihal and Kallappa, under relevant sections at the Belagavi Rural Police Station.

Meanwhile, Muslim community members staged a protest on Monday, condemning the incident.