Techie held for raising pro-Pak slogans amid border heat in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: The Bengaluru police have arrested a 25-year-old techie for allegedly shouting pro-Pakistan slogans outside his paying guest (PG) accommodation last week, amid heightened military tensions between India and Pakistan.

The suspect has been identified as Shubhanshu Shukla, a native of Chhattisgarh, who has been working for the past year at a private company in southeast Bengaluru.

On May 9, around 12.30 am, two days after Operation Sindoor was launched by India to destroy the terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Shukla allegedly stood on the second-floor balcony of his PG accommodation in Prashanth Layout and shouted pro-Pakistan slogans.

According to the complainant, who resides in a PG accommodation directly opposite Shukla’s, the slogans caused him to fear a possible terrorist attack. He immediately ran to the terrace, suspecting an attack on his PG. He told the police that he recorded the slogans being raised on video. It was later confirmed that Shukla was the person shouting them.

Upon verifying the video, the complainant called the police helpline (112) and showed them the footage.

An investigator involved in the case told DH that Shukla had shouted pro-Pakistan slogans three times, but the complainant had recorded only the final instance.

Based on the complaint, the Whitefield police have filed an FIR against Shukla under BNS sections 152 (acts endangering the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India), 197(1)(d) (imputations or assertions prejudicial to national integration), and 353(1) (statements conducing to public mischief).

According to the investigator, Shukla claimed that he had no malicious intent and that the act happened in the heat of the moment. He reportedly confessed to shouting the slogans.

“In the video, it is also visible that he was the one who shouted the slogans. We have sent the video to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for verification,” the investigator said.

He added that a voice sample from Shukla has also been collected and sent to the FSL for comparison. Additionally, a blood sample has been sent for medical testing to determine whether Shukla was drunk at the time of the incident.

Shukla was initially sent to judicial custody on May 9, but was taken into police custody again on Monday for further interrogation. He has since been placed back in judicial custody.