Inciting violence: Police file FIR against 2 BJP MLAs in Mangaluru

Mangluru: Mangaluru police registered a case against two BJP MLAs and three others for inciting people and forcing students to chant Jai Shri Ram' slogans, PTI reported.

The MLAs asked the students to do so at the St Gerosa school, where a teacher was recently accused of alleged anti-Hindu remarks.

Police sources on Thursday said the FIR, filed at the Mangaluru South police station, has named MLAs Vedavyas Kamath, Y Bharat Shetty, city corporators Sandeep Garodi, Bharat Kumar and Bajrang Dal leader Sharan Pumpwell as the accused.

The protesters were also accused of instigating enmity between the Christian and Hindu communities by directing their slogans against Christianity during the protest on February 12.

Considering the sensitivity to communal issues in Dakshina Kannada district, such actions could have created law and order issues, police said.

The case has been registered under sections 143, 153A, 295A, 505(2), 506 and 149 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The management of St Gerosa English higher primary school told the police that Kamath initiated a protest in front of the school without seeking clarification from them. He forced the students to chant "Jai Shri Ram"

Meanwhile, the headmistress of St Gerosa English Higher Primary School revealed that BJP MLA Vedavyas Kamath pressured her to remove the teacher, who was accused of making anti-Hindu remarks in class, from her job.

In a press statement here, School Headmistress Sister Anitha clarified that Sr Prabha, the teacher who was removed from her post following allegations of hurting Hindu sentiments, was only explaining a poem by Rabindranath Tagore in the classroom.

"The teacher had not spoken anything against gods, but explained to the students the meaning of the poem 'Work is Worship' by Tagore," she said, quoting the full text of the poem in her statement.

The teacher had explained the meaning of the poem, which says that temples, churches, and mosques are only buildings and god dwells in human hearts, she further clarified.

The headmistress said four persons had approached her on February 10 with a complaint that Sr Prabha had made some derogatory statements against the Hindu religion, and she had assured them that an inquiry would be held.

As alleged by the anonymous woman in a voice message that has gone viral and reiterated by BJP leaders, Sr Prabha did not make any derogatory remarks against Hinduism or any other religion or the Prime Minister, while explaining the poem, Sr Anitha explained.