Four youths arrested in Karnataka for entering temple with footwear

Dakshina Kannada (Karnataka), Nov 4: Four youths have been arrested for defiling a place of worship by entering the premises of Karinjeshwara temple located on the Karinja hill near Bantwal in Karnataka's Dakshina Kannada district with footwear last month, police said on Thursday.

The arrested were identified as Busher Rehman (20), Ismail Arhamaz (22), Mohammed Tanish (19), and Mohammad Rashad (19), all hailed from surrounding areas of Ullal town near Mangaluru city. District Superintendent of Police Rishikesh Bhagvan Sonawane said all four have been sent to judicial custody.

The accused had entered the hilltop temple with footwear and uploaded the video on October 7. The video had gone viral on social media in communally sensitive Dakshina Kannada district and Hindu outfits demanded immediate arrest of the accused.

Bantwal's BJP MLA Rajesh Naik had urged the police to take immediate action, while the Hindu Jagaran Vedike said that the youths have deliberately desecrated the temple and uploaded the video.

A case was registered in Punnalakatte police station by temple authorities on November 3 under Section 295 (destruction, damage or defilement of a place of worship or an object held sacred, with intent to insult the religion of a class of persons) of the IPC.