BJP MLA Munirathna Faces Sexual Harassment and Threat Charges in Karnataka
A case of alleged sexual harassment has been registered against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA and former minister Munirathna and six others in the Ramnagar district of Karnataka. The case was registered at Kaggalipura police station on Wednesday night.
The First Information Report (FIR) was filed under various IPC Sections, including 354A, 354C, 376, 506, 504, 120(b), 149, 384, 406, and 308. Apart from Munirathna, six other individuals have been charged: Vijay Kumar, Sudhakara, Kiran Kumar, Lohit Gowda, Manjunath, and Loki. The incident reportedly occurred at a private resort under the jurisdiction of Kaggalipura police station.
Munirathna is currently in the custody of Bengaluru police for allegedly threatening a contractor. The Special Court of People’s Representatives will hear his bail plea today. If bail is granted, he is likely to be detained near the jail as he is in judicial custody. If bail is denied, the Kaggalipura police will file a body warrant and take him into custody as per the procedure.
Munirathna was taken into custody on September 14 by Bengaluru police for allegedly threatening a Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) contractor. According to Kolar Superintendent of Police (SP) B Nikhil, Munirathna was apprehended near Kolar while traveling to Andhra Pradesh.
Two FIRs have been registered at the Vyalikaval police station against Munirathna, stemming from complaints lodged by contractor Chelvaraju. The first case involves issuing a death threat, with four individuals named in the FIR, including Munirathna, VG Kumar, Abhishek, and Vasanth Kumar. The FIRs include charges under sections 37, 506, 505, 385, 420, and 323.
Chelvaraju has alleged that Munirathna threatened him by saying, “What happened to Renukaswamy will happen to you.” He claimed that the MLA demanded a commission in connection with a contract. According to the contractor, he offered Rs 1 lakh, but Munirathna refused and insisted on the full amount. Chelvaraju further alleged that Munirathna demanded Rs 20 lakhs and threatened him with the same fate as Renukaswamy if he did not pay. He also accused Munirathna’s elder sister’s son of being involved in the murder of Renukaswamy. An audio clip allegedly featuring Munirathna using abusive language and threatening a Dalit person, the contractor, and his wife has also gone viral.
Doubts Revealed
BJP -: BJP stands for Bharatiya Janata Party, which is a major political party in India.
MLA -: MLA stands for Member of Legislative Assembly. They are elected representatives who make laws for a state in India.
Munirathna -: Munirathna is a politician from Karnataka, a state in India, and he is a member of the BJP.
Sexual Harassment -: Sexual harassment means treating someone badly or making them uncomfortable because of their gender, often in a way that is inappropriate or unwanted.
Ramnagar -: Ramnagar is a district in the state of Karnataka, India.
Karnataka -: Karnataka is a state in the southern part of India.
FIR -: FIR stands for First Information Report. It is a document prepared by the police when they receive information about a crime.
IPC sections -: IPC stands for Indian Penal Code, which is a set of laws in India. Sections are specific parts of this code that describe different crimes and their punishments.
Custody -: Custody means being kept by the police, usually because they think you might have done something wrong.
Contractor -: A contractor is a person or company hired to do work, like building something or providing a service.
Rs 20 lakhs -: Rs 20 lakhs means 2 million rupees, which is a large amount of money in India.
Death threats -: Death threats are when someone says they will kill another person, which is very serious and scary.
Special Court of People’s Representatives -: This is a special court in India that deals with cases involving elected officials like MLAs.
Bail plea -: A bail plea is when someone asks the court to let them go free while they wait for their trial.
