The Vidhana Soudha premises in Bengaluru.
Credit: PTI Photo
Bengaluru: The Bengaluru city police said on Monday that they have arrested three persons over "pro-Pakistan" slogans purportedly raised inside Vidhana Soudha on February 27.
A statement from the police said the arrests were made based on the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report, circumstantial evidence and witness accounts.
The suspects have been identified as Mohammad Nashipudi from Byadgi, Haveri district; Munawwar Ahmed from Jayamahal, Bengaluru and Mohammad Iltaz, from Kishangarh, Delhi.
The police had registered a suo motu case after news broadcasts by Kannada television channels purportedly showed 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogans being raised following the victory of Congress candidate Syed Nasir Hussain in the Rajya Sabha election.
The next day, the state government announced that the footage had been sent to the government-run FSL in Bengaluru.
Earlier in the day, the BJP mounted pressure on the Congress government by releasing a private forensics laboratory (Clue4Evidence) report that concluded that it was "highly probable" that the 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogan was shouted on the Vidhana Soudha premises.
"The government’s (FSL) report has reached you, and you’re still lying that it hasn’t. This questions your commitment towards the nation,” BJP state president B Y Vijayendra said.
The government rubbished the private report. "We don’t know the antecedents of this laboratory,” Home Minister G Parameshwara said.
IT-BT Minister Priyank Kharge also questioned the credentials of the private lab. "What footage did the BJP give to this company? Even I got this matter checked by private labs and found that the conclusion was negative. But did I make it public?” he said, slamming the BJP.
Later in the afternoon, a BJP delegation met state police chief Alok Mohan and petitioned him over the delay in the release of the official FSL report.