Udupi: A suo moto case has been registered against former Karnataka minister and BJP’s Mogaveera leader Pramod Madhwaraj for allegedly making inflammatory remarks during a protest held at Malpe fishing harbour on Saturday. The protest was staged in response to the arrest of five fishermen accused of assaulting a Dalit woman on allegations of theft.
Earlier, on March 19, a case under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, and BNS Section 130 (Assault) was filed against the five fishermen, who were accused of tying up and physically assaulting a 43-year-old Dalit woman over charges of stealing fish. The accused were remanded to 14 days of judicial custody.
While addressing the protest, Madhwaraj allegedly questioned whether the woman was assaulted with a fishing rod or a weapon and remarked that “thieves should be dealt with accordingly,” sparking controversy. Following this, Malpe Police filed a suo moto case against him under BNS sections 57 (abetting an offence by public), 191(1) (rioting), and 192 (provocation for rioting). Investigations are ongoing, informed Inspector M Ravi.
The protestors demanded immediate withdrawal of the case against the fishermen and threatened to intensify their agitation if their demands were ignored.
Udupi Block Congress president Ramesh Kanchan defended the fishermen, stating they were unaware of the woman’s Dalit identity and denied any history of caste-based discrimination at the harbour. Dayanand Suvarna, president of the Malpe Fishermen’s Association, echoed similar sentiments, highlighting that the harbour struggles with frequent thefts and lacks proper security infrastructure like CCTV cameras and adequate personnel.
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