Harish Poonja booked for creating ruckus at Belthangady police station

Harish Poonja booked for creating ruckus at Belthangady police station

Mangalore Today News Network

Belthangady, May 20, 2024: The Belthangady police on Sunday, May 19, filed a case against Harish Poonja, BJP MLA, on charges of creating a ruckus in the Belthangady police station on Saturday night (May 18). The ruckus was over police arresting Belthangady Taluk president of BJP Yuva Morcha Shashiraj Shetty in connection with Shetty’s alleged involvement in illegal stone quarrying at Melantabettu village of Belthangady taluk.

 

Acting on a complaint, an official team led by Belthangady Tahsildar Prithvi Sanikam raided an illegal stone quarrying site in the village on Saturday evening. The team comprising revenue officials and local police seized a large quantity of stones extracted from the quarry. The team also seized four live detonators, four used explosive substances, an earth mover and a tractor.

On inquiry, the team was told that the illegal quarry was managed by Shetty and Pramod Ujire. On the complaint by Mr. Sanikam, the Belthangady police arrested Shetty for offences punishable under Sections 9 B (1)(b) of Explosives Act and Section 5 of Explosives Substances Act 1908. Efforts were on to search Mr. Pramod who reportedly ran away from the house when police went to his house.

Shetty was produced before the jurisdictional magistrate on Sunday morning, and was remanded to judicial custody for 15 days.

Soon after Shetty’s arrest on Saturday night, the MLA came to the police station with some BJP activists and questioned the police inspector and other personnel for arresting Shetty. When the police inspector told the MLA that it was based on a complaint, Mr. Poonja claimed that the quarrying activity had nothing to do with Shetty.

Accusing police of acting on instructions from the State government and wrongly framing Shetty in the case, Mr. Poonja sat in the police station with party activists demanding the release of Shetty. “BJP will not sit silent if our activist is wrongly framed in a case. You (police personnel) will face the music for such a high-handed action,” the MLA threatened the personnel. He demanded presence of tahsildar at the police station.

Mr. Poonja and his supporters were in the police station till early on Sunday morning.

The police registered suo motu a complaint against Mr. Poonja for the offence punishable under Section 353 (preventing or deterring a public servant from performing duty) and 504 (intentional insult with an intent to provoke breach of peace) of the Indian Penal Code.

Courtesy: The Hindu