Karnataka: Case registered against Harish Poonja and cow protector Puneet

Former BJP MP Pratap Simha, murder-accused cow vigilante Puneet Kerehalli, and BJP MLA Harish Poonja were booked by Bengaluru police for illegally gathering and protesting in front of Basaveshwaranagar police station. Simha led a protest on Wednesday, July 31, demanding legal action against Assistant Commissioner of Police Chandan Kumar for allegedly stripping and beating Puneet in Cottonpet police station on the night of July 26.

The controversy began on July 26, Puneeth turned up at the Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna railway station along with his associates and began claiming that dog meat was being transported by train from Jaipur and sold in Bengaluru. This accusation led to a commotion after which the city police seized 90 cartons of meat. The health department then sent samples for testing to ascertain the type of meat.

According to a press release, 84 parcels were sent to the ICAR-National Meat Research Institute in Hyderabad for lab analysis. The report, dated July 30, stated that the test, using Molecular Biomarker Analysis (DNA) testing, confirmed the meat was from “S: Ovis aries (sheep).”

Puneet and his associates were arrested on the night of July 26. They were charged with using criminal force to deter public servants from discharging their duty, among other offenses. Puneet was initially taken to KC General Hospital after claiming he was unwell, where doctors found his vitals to be normal. However, he was later transferred to Victoria Hospital as he claimed that he was unwell.

Puneet, who was released on station bail, is accused of killing cattle trader Idrees Pasha in Mandya.