Mangaluru: Police from the Mangaluru City Commissionerate arrested three people, including a leader of the All India Hindu Mahasabha, for issuing life threat to Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.
Dharmendra, chief secretary of the All India Hindu Mahasabha, was arrested along with two others for threatening the chief minister over the demolition of a temple, constructed 'illegally', at Nanjanagudu in Mysuru.
"We didn’t even spare Mahatma Gandhi, what do you amount to then? If Gandhi ji could be assassinated in order to condemn the atrocities on Hindus, do you think it won't be possible for us to think about you? Please remember life will get very difficult for you Basavaraj Bommai, B.S. Yediyurappa and endowment minister Shashikala Jolle," Dharmendra had said during a press conference in Mangaluru.
The other two people arrested are Hindu Mahasabha members Rajesh Pavitran and Prem Polali.
Also read: Karnataka: 'We didn't spare Gandhi, we won't spare BJP', Hindu Mahashaba on Nanjangud temple demolition
Taking offence to Dharmendra's controversial remarks, state president of Hindu Mahasabha Dr Lohith Kumar, the other faction of the organisation lodged a police complaint against him. Later, Dharmendra apologized for his statement through a video.
On September 8, the Mysuru district administration razed the Adishakti Mahadevamma temple at Huchchagani village in Nanjanagudu. According to the officials, it was one of the 6,395 unauthorized structures identified by the state government in the 2009 - 10 exercise and were to be demolished as directed by the Supreme Court. After the demolition, a political slugfest is underway in Karnataka with opposition Congress and JD (S) accusing the ruling BJP government of hurting religious sentiments.
