By Sagay Raj
In Short
- Case against ex-BJP leader and MLA Yatnal in Vijayapura
- Remarks made during Ram Navami event
- Alleged insult to Prophet Muhammad
A case has been registered against expelled Karnataka BJP leader and Vijayapura MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal over controversial remarks he allegedly made about Prophet Muhammad during a Ram Navami event.
The complaint, filed by local resident Mohammad Hannan at the Gol Gumbaz Police Station in Vijayapura, accuses Yatnal of making derogatory comments that hurt religious sentiments and could incite communal unrest.
According to the complaint, Yatnal made the remarks on April 7 at a public event in Hubballi’s Banni Oni. He is alleged to have said, “Prophet Muhammad was born in Balasaheb Thackeray’s house,” and went on to call him a “crossbreed”, a statement seen as provocative and offensive by members of the Muslim community.
“What a man Bal Thackeray was. When the media asked, ‘What kind of Hindu are you?’ he used to say, ‘I am a mad Hindu.’ He would proudly say he was crazy about Hindus and Hindutva. But in his house, a Muhammad Paigambar has been born. I feel he must be a crossbreed,” Yatnal said at the event.
The complainant stated that Yatnal’s comments had hurt the sentiments of Muslims and posed a threat to communal harmony. Police in Vijayapura confirmed that a case has been registered and that further investigation is underway.
This story was originally published in indiatoday.in. Read the full story here.