The group alleged that Kerehalli has been repeatedly entering migrant worker dwellings and sheds, interrogating them about nationality, and demanding identity documents while threatening and intimidating them.
Published Jan 16, 2026 | 12:50 PM ⚊ Updated Jan 16, 2026 | 12:50 PM
Puneeth Kerehalli.
Synopsis: The Campaign Against Hate Speech called for urgent action against Puneeth Kerehalli, a murder-accused cow vigilante who is currently out on bail. The group alleged that Kerehalli has been repeatedly entering migrant worker dwellings and sheds, interrogating them about nationality, and demanding identity documents while threatening and intimidating them.
The Campaign Against Hate Speech, a civil society group of activists, lawyers and academicians, in Karnataka on Friday, 16 January, called for urgent action against Puneeth Kerehalli, a murder-accused cow vigilante who is currently out on bail.
The group alleged that Kerehalli has been repeatedly entering migrant worker dwellings and sheds, interrogating them about nationality, and demanding identity documents while threatening and intimidating them.
In a letter sent via email to the Karnataka Director General of Police (DGP), they said Kerehalli has been uploading videos of the same on his Facebook and YouTube pages.
In one such video uploaded on 14 January to his YouTube page, which has over 10,000 subscribers, Kerehalli is seen asking a woman, “Kaunas desh hai aapka?” (Which country do you belong to?)
They said that the title of the videos posted by Kerhalli was communal in nature and his aim was not to raise the “illegal migrants issue” but rather to communalise it.
“It is evident from the title itself that Puneeth Karehalli was not raising any so-called illegal migration issue, but rather, was communalising and instilling hatred against Muslims by branding them as illegal migrants,” they said.
The group alleged that Kerehalli was holding a protest and shouting slogans at night, calling residents “illegal migrants”.
“He is seen illegally collecting and demanding Aadhaar cards of residents, without any authorisation to do so,” they said.
Any undocumented migration is to be acted upon by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Foreign Regional Registration Office (FRRO) and state authorities, the group pointed out.
“As such, private citizens such as Puneeth Kerehalli have no right to unlawfully enter the homes of persons, harass, and intimidate them,” they said, calling for immediate registration of an FIR against Kerehalli and his associates for criminal trespass, intimidation, assault, harassment, and related offences under relevant BNS provisions, among other demands.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil with inputs from Anisha Reddy.)
