"People who read, follow Quran are..": Hindutva leader charged for hate speech at Karnataka protest

Bengaluru: The Karnataka police have booked the chief of the Hindu Jagaran Vedike, a Sangh Parivar affiliate, for allegedly making derogatory statements about the Quran and Muslims.

Keshava Murthy, state convenor of Hindu Jagaran Vedike, was booked on July 1 on a complaint filed by Zameer Ahamad, president of Anjuman-e-Islamia in Kolar.

A viral video of Murthy's speech showed him purportedly saying that people who read and followed the Quran were "terrorists".

In a speech on July 1 — when some Hindu activists were protesting the killing of tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur, Rajasthan— Murthy said, "The Quran says kill people. So, don't you think those who read the Quran will follow the same? Those who read the Quran are terrorists."

Tailor Kanhaiya Lal was murdered last month by two men after he posted on social media in support of suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma, who had made against Prophet Mohammed and Islam.

The Kolar town police registered a case under Indian Penal Code Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), 153B (provocation with intent to cause a riot), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and 505i (printing or engraving matter known to be defamatory).

However, Murthy is at large and the police are yet to arrest him.