Pramesh S Jain & Binish Thomas (Sub-Editor)
A
Day after two FIRs registered,Rajarajeshwari Constituency BJP MLA Munirathna has been arrested at Nangli in Kolar district on Saturday .
Munirathna was heading to Andhra Pradesh on Saturday when a team of police intercepted him car and detained him near Nagli before he was handed over to the Vyyalikval police where the cases have ben registered against him.
Two cases have been registered against Munirathna on the charges of criminal intimidation,demanding bribe from a contractor,and for making castist remarks .
A case of death threat has been registered against four persons including Munirathna for threatening a Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) contractor, Cheluvaraj.
Cheluvaraj filed a complaint accusing the MLA and three others of demanding a bribe of Rs 30 lakh for a solid waste disposal contract.
Cheluvaraju alleged that Munirathna threatened,abused, humiliated and used slurs while demanding the bribe.
He had recorded the entire conversation and filed a complaint.Cheluvaraju who has given the garbage contract at D Devraju truck terminal area for the last three years said that he had given Rs.20 lakh bribe to Munirathna after he had promised to get him 10 autorickshaws from BBMP for garbage collection in September 2021 and cheated .
Later in June 2023 Munirathna called him home to meet but he did not go.On August 14 2023 when he went for a meeting, Munirathna called him to his chamber and demanded the money,When Cheluvaraju explained that he is in financial trouble and unable to arrange the money, Munirathna verbally abused using unparliamentary language him and directed his name to write to BBMP commissioner to change the garbage contractor.
Cheluvaraju further said that Munirathna in September last year called him and assaulted demanding money and later recommended the BBMP commissioner to change the contract.
Munirathna also used abusive language against his family members while his assistant Abhishek and Vijay Kumar assaulted him.
Apart From Munirathna,the FIR also named Munirathna’s gunman Vijay kumar,secretary Abhishek,and Munirathna’s relative Vasantha Kumar.
Another FIR has been registered against MLA Munirathna in the same station on charges of making caste abuse,based on the complaint filed by Velunayak.
Velunayak,a former BBMP councillor from ward no.42, alleged that Munirathna while abusing Cheluvaraju used castiest slur against him,accusing him of not giving him bribe amount on the advise of Velunayak .
Munirathna and three others have been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code,including sections 37 (coercion),506 (criminal intimidation),505 (statements conducing to public mischief),385 (putting a person in fear of injury in order to commit extortion),420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt).The SC and ST (prevention of atrocity )act,section 153 (provoking riot) , 509 ( intentional insult to women modesty) 504 (criminal intimidation) 153 (provoking enmity between different groups ) under IPC act.
Reacting to the development,Munirathna alleged that it was a conspiracy against him to scuttle his political career and said that he will take legal measures to prove his innocence .
Meanwhile,Soumya Reddy,KPCC women wing President taking objections to the slur and abuses used against women,she said she would file a complaint with the women’s commission against Munirathna seeking necessary action.
