Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Tuesday said FSL reports have confirmed that slogans of ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ were raised during the victory celebration of Congress leader Naseer Hussain at the Vidhan Soudha complex recently.
He also urged the opposition leader to cooperate in the investigation into the matter.
“The individuals shouted the slogans twice. FSL has not said who said that. They have just said that it has been confirmed and there is no intervention of any kind, it is a straightforward video. They have examined and confirmed that there was shouting like ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ and based on that we have identified three persons and arrested them,” he said.
“…There were Congress sympathizers, workers and officer bearers (present during the celebration), but we do not know anything. Let the police investigate that. Now that the case has been registered and they have been arrested, the investigation will go on…” the minister said.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also confirmed that voice samples were sent to the FSL (Forensic Science Laboratory) for analysis. “We had sent the voice report to the FSL…if it is true that somebody has raised the slogan ‘Pakistan Zindabad’, that person will be punished seriously,” he said.
Meanwhile, a local court on Tuesday sent the three arrested in connection with the incident to three days of police custody.
Deputy Commissioner of Police, Central Division, Shekhar H T, confirmed that the arrest is based on the FSL report, circumstantial evidence and statements of the witnesses gathered at the event.
The accused have been identified as Iltaz from Delhi, Munawar from RT Nagar in Bengaluru and Mohammed Shafi Nashipudi from Byadagi in Haveri district.
The development follows recent allegations made by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that supporters of Congress leader Hussain had raised ‘pro-Pakistan’ slogans in the Karnataka assembly after his victory in the Rajya Sabha elections.
Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar had also linked the recent blast at Bengaluru’s Rameshwaram Cafe to the Vidhana Soudha episode.
“You saw what happened in Bengaluru, a bomb explosion took place and Congress leaders said it was a cylinder blast. We want police to investigate whether Pakistan Zindabad slogans and this blast have any relation or not,” he had said.
The Karnataka BJP unit also hit out at Rahul Gandhi, saying that the arrested accused are the Congress MP’s “close aides”. “While Rahul Gandhi is busy doing a ‘Bharat Todo’ public stunt, Bengaluru police have arrested his close aides for raising ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans inside Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru. Anti-National Congress workers should be charged with treason & investigated under UAPA,” it said in a post on ‘X’.
The BJP has also petitioned Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar to not administer oath to office to Hussain till the case is fully investigated.