Karnataka BJP MLA Munirathna and six others booked for alleged sexual harassment case | Bengaluru
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 in the Ramnagar district on Wednesday night.
The First Information Report (FIR) was filed under IPC Sections 354A, 354C, 376, 506, 504, 120(b), 149, 384, 406, 308. Apart from the BJP MLA Munirathna, six other individuals have been charged in the case, including Vijay Kumar, Sudhakara, Kiran Kumar, Lohit Gowda, Manjunath and Loki.
As per the complaint, the incident was happened at a private resort under the limits of Kaggalipura police station.
(Also Read: Karnataka BJP MLA Munirathna sent to police custody in harassment, bribery case)
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 in this regard today.
Current custody status and legal proceedings
Munirathna is likely to be detained near the jail if bail is granted, as he is in judicial custody. However, if the 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 night by Bengaluru police for allegedly threatening a Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) contractor.
According to Kolar Superintendent of Police (SP) B Nikhil, Munirathna was taken into custody by Bengaluru police with the help of Kolar Police while he was travelling to Andhra Pradesh. He was taken into custody near Kolar.
Police has registered two FIRs at the Vyalikaval police station against Munirathna. The cases stem from complaints lodged by contractor Chelvaraju, who has accused Munirathna of harassment and threats. The first case involves issuing a death threat, with four individuals named in the FIR including Munirathna, VG Kumar, Abhishek, Vasanth Kumar. The FIRs include charges under sections 37, 506, 505, 385, 420, and 323.
Contractor’s allegations and demand for bribe
Chaluvaraju has alleged that Munirathna threatened him by saying, “What happened to Renukaswamy will happen to you.” He claimed that the MLA had demanded a commission in connection with a contract. According to the contractor, he offered ₹1 lakh, but Munirathna refused and insisted on the full amount.
The contractor further alleged, “MLA Munirathna has threatened me to pay ₹20 lakhs. If I don’t pay, he said the same fate as Renukaswamy will happen to me.” He also accused Munirathna’s elder sister’s son of being involved in the murder of Renukaswamy.
An audio clip had also gone viral, allegedly featuring Munirathna using abusive language and threatening a Dalit person, the contractor, and his wife.
(Also Read: Karnataka BJP MLA held for ‘harassing contractor, using casteist slur’)
