Pro-Pakistan slogan row: Court sends suspect to 14 days judicial custody

A court on Thursday sent the third suspect to 14 days in Judicial Custody (JC) in the case of alleged “pro-Pakistan” sloganeering in Vidhana Soudha during the victory celebrations of Congress candidate Syed Naseer Hussain after the Rajya Sabha election.

Mohammad Shafi Nashipudi from Byadgi in Haveri district is one of the three suspects who was remanded in judicial custody by the court on Thursday.

Two more suspects, Munawwar Ahmed from Jayamahal in Bengaluru and Mohammad Iltaz, from Kishangarh, Delhi, were brought before the 39th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court by the police on Wednesday. The court remanded them in JC, but police had sought one more day of police custody of Nashipudi.

A senior police officer, overseeing the case, told DH that they had a few unanswered questions to ask Nashipudi. Hence, he was retaken into custody. He, however, refused to disclose anything about the investigation.

All the suspects were arrested by Vidhana Soudha police on Monday. A statement from the police said the arrests were made based on the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report, circumstantial evidence and witness accounts. The police had registered a suo motu case after news broadcasts by Kannada television channels purportedly showed ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans being raised following the victory of Congress candidate Syed Naseer Hussain in the RS election.