The Ramanagara police said four teams have been formed to nab the self-styled cow vigilante even as he continued to go live on Facebook.
(on left) Deceased Idrees Pasha. (on right)Accused and cow vigilante Puneeth Kerehalli. (Supplied)
Deemed “absconding” by police, self-styled cow vigilante and murder accused Puneeth Kerehalli on Monday, 3 April released a video on social media claiming innocence.
In a 15-minute video shot in a car, he claims that he did not kill cattle trader Idrees Pasha.
Days after Pasha’s family alleged that he was killed by cow vigilantes, the Ramanagara police in Karnataka haven’t been able to trace prime-accused Kerehalli.
In the video that he posted on his Facebook page, which hosts more videos of his cow vigilantism, Kerehalli blamed the Congress and the JD(S) for his name being “dragged” into the case.
He alleged that there was a conspiracy against him in the Idrees Pasha murder case.
Cattle trader Idrees Pasha (39) was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Ramanagara district’s Sathanur village around 8.30 am on 1 April.
One of Idrees’ associates was also reportedly physically assaulted.
They were allegedly stopped by cow vigilantes while they were transporting cattle from Mandya to Tamil Nadu. Idrees’ family alleged that he was lynched by cow vigilantes.
The Sathanur cops have booked Kerehalli and his four associates in connection with the case.
“Puneeth Kerehalli is absconding in the case of the suspicious death of Idrees Pasha near Sathanur. Four teams have been formed to arrest him and his accomplices. The accused is yet to be found,” Ramanagra Superintendent of Police Karthik Reddy told reporters on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the aforementioned video showed Kerehalli sitting in a car and saying that he had not killed Idrees Pasha but was being framed by the Congress and the JD(S) leaders to “woo Muslim voters”.
“My phone was switched off after visiting multiple temples. I came to know about the case only after switching my phone on. There’s been an FIR registered against me. I will willingly come before the police and cooperate with the investigation because I am not afraid of anything. I will always protect cows,” he declared in the video, insisting that he was not absconding.
However, he also made no mention of surrendering.
He continued, “Be it Kumaraswamy, Siddaramaiah or DK Shivakumar, none of them will be able to stop me from protecting cows. The cattle were loaded in a heinous way in a canter in Mandya. Kumaraswamy claims that the cattle were being transported by farmers. No farmer transports cattle in such a manner. Are people of this state fools?”
Kerehalli also claimed that from late on 31 March night, he live-streamed the incident on social media making it his alibi.
“Many people have watched it. I stayed with the police until the cows were released at 5 am on Saturday. Would I have gone to the police if I had killed someone? We have not killed anyone. The post-mortem report will give the answer,” he said.
Meanwhile, photographs showing Kerehalli with prominent BJP leaders in Karnataka, including Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya and BJP national secretary CT Ravi, have gone viral on social media, raising questions about his proximity with the ruling party in Karnataka.
Meanwhile, Bengaluru-based rights organisation Bahutva Karnataka demanded the immediate arrest of Puneeth Kerehalli.
In an open letter, the group has also urged that the state government implement Supreme Court guidelines on cow vigilantism.
Earlier, the deceased’s brother Yunus Pasha told South First that the vigilante group used a taser — a handheld device that can incapacitate a person by delivering a high-voltage electric shock — and hockey sticks.
A video of Kerehalli using an electric taser to hurt a man shared via Facebook Live on 20 March has since been deleted from his account
The rights group Bahutva Karnataka stated, “Karnataka has seen a rapid change in its culture, with all the wise words being violated, since Basavaraj Bommai took charge as Chief Minister.”
While calling Kerehalli a “small-time criminal”, who has now graduated from making hate speech to allegedly murdering people, the group said, “Not only did the police turn a blind eye to his ever-growing crimes, but he in fact was encouraged and supported by those in power, thus emboldening him to kill people.”
It also claimed that Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, instead of condemning the street violence by right-wing groups, has been justifying it by saying “every action has an equal and opposite reaction”, which has emboldened goons.
Though there are three FIRs registered in the Idrees Pasha case, including that of murder, the Ramanagara district police have not made any arrests.
While demanding Kerehalli’s arrest immediately, Bahutva Karnataka asked for an inquiry by a sitting High Court judge into how Bajrang Dal, Rashta Rakshana Vedike and other right-wing groups are taking law in their own hands and why police was not acting on it.
Referring to at least three incidents since July 2022 where Muslim men were beaten by right-wing groups, the group demanded the State government to apologise to all the victims of lynchings. It blamed the former’s inaction that led to such situations.
It also asked government to ensure strict compliance with the order of the Supreme Court in Tehseen Poonawalla vs Union of India
“This includes among others – appointing nodal officers in each strict to prevent these incidents, registration of an FIR without delay, preventing harassment of family members of victims, ensuring cases of mob violence are tried by Fast Track Courts on day-to-day basis, bringing out a victim compensation scheme, and
holding police officials who fail their duties in preventing the violence accountable,” Bahutva Karnataka pointed out.
The group also sought action against the police, as mandated by the Supreme Court, for their failure of not arresting Kerehalli and his accomplice so far.
It also demanded the withdrawal of “poorly drafted and hastily brought out” 2021 Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act.
