Fake letter row: Scribe arrested

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officials, on Saturday, arrested a 57-year-old journalist with a Delhi-based Hindi and English magazine for sharing a forged letter of M B Patil on the Lingayat issue with Postcard News portal editor.

Based on a complaint lodged by M B Patil, president, BLDE Society, also Home minister, a case was registered in April in Adarsh Nagar under several sections of the Representation of People Act.

The case was then transferred for further investigation to the CID on the orders of DG and IGP, on the same day.

During Assembly, LS polls

Investigation revealed a forged letter in the name of M B Patil was circulated in social media and published in a Kannada daily on May 12, 2018 - the day of polling for Assembly elections, and again on April 16, 2019, two days before the first phase of polling in Lok Sabha election in the state.

During the course of investigation, the police found involvement of journalist S A Hemanth Kumar, a special correspondent with Uday India, a Delhi-based English and Hindi magazine, and arrested him.

He is a resident of Basaveshwaranagar in Bengaluru and was picked up based on credible evidence corroborated by oral statement, the police said.

He has been produced before a court which granted police custody until April 30 for further investigation. Taking strong exception to the journalist’s arrest, senior BJP leaders met DG-IGP and submitted a memorandum seeking release of Hemanth Kumar, on Saturday.