Jagadish Kumar.
Credit: DH PHOTO
Bengaluru: Controversial city lawyer KN Jagadish Kumar was arrested on Friday by the Kodigehalli police following a complaint of alleged caste abuse and making provocative statements on his Instagram handle.
The arrest comes three days after an FIR was registered against him under sections 196 and 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The complaint, filed by Manjunath, an activist, alleged that Jagadish's remarks on Instagram were detrimental to communal harmony and specifically targeted the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe communities.
Background
Jagadish, known for his active and often contentious presence on social media, has frequently been embroiled in controversies.
The latest case stems from a video he posted on Instagram on August 11.
In the video, Jagadish is alleged to have made objectionable remarks about Basanagowda Patil Yatnal, MLA, Vijayapura assembly constituency.
According to the complaint, Jagadish stated in the video, "Yatnal has two sons. Let's get a daughter-in-law from a Schedule Caste/Schedule Tribe for one son and let's get a daughter-in-law from the Muslim community for another son. We will all provide the funding. We will provide you with Rs 5 crore of funding, we will provide Rs 5 crore 100%. Let your family also be a beacon for the society, I will provide the funding myself."
The complainant further highlighted that Jagadish repeatedly used the phrase "marry Schedule Caste/Schedule Tribe girls" in a derogatory manner.
Manjunath's complaint asserts that these statements were made in a way that aims to destroy the harmony between the Lingayat community (to which MLA Yatnal belongs) and the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe communities.
Furthermore, the complaint claims the remarks were designed to disrupt harmony between the people of Hindu and Muslim faiths, create hatred, and disturb peace in society, leading to social division.
The complainant stated that the use of such phrases has caused immense pain and discomfort to the entire Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe community, perceiving it as a derogatory portrayal of their girls.
The complaint also noted Jagadish's words "shock and discriminate against religious beliefs".