Hindu Gods 'insult' row: K'taka police book FIR over threat calls to complainant

Bengaluru, Feb 21: The Karnataka Police on Wednesday booked an FIR in connection with a case of the contact number and family pictures of the mother of a girl student, who raised her voice against the alleged insult to Hindu Gods at a private school in Dakshina Kannada district, being "made viral" on social media.

The Mangaluru police claimed that they were seeking consultation from legal experts before registering the complaint and take up the probe.

Sources in the police department said that they were awaiting response from the legal experts on the audio clip submitted by the victim woman in this regard. However, some Hindu activists claimed that the police were awaiting the orders from the Congress government's top brass on handling the case.

The victim, a school teacher, approached the Kankanady police station in Mangaluru on Tuesday seeking protection as she was "getting threat calls from Qatar, Dubai, Saudi Arabia and some other countries".

She purportedly also received abusive audio clips for raising the issue.

The complainant said that she is continuously getting threat calls since February 15.

"In the social media post which is made viral, I have been solely blamed for the whole episode resulting in protest against the school in Mangaluru. I have been tortured for speaking in front of the media and raising the issue of humiliation of Hindu Gods at the school," she stated.

"My daughter is studying in seventh standard in the school. The teacher should not have made comments on the Godhra incident and was not required to speak demeaningly on Lord Sri Ram. The teacher had asked whether Lord Ram would come and sit in the stone idol," the woman said.

Meanwhile, the management of the Sebastian School, where the woman worked as a teacher, has sacked her for giving statements to the media over the issue.

The alleged incident took place at St. Gerosa Higher Primary School near Jeppu in Mangaluru recently.

A teacher, identified as Sister Prabha, had allegedly made derogatory remarks against Hindu Gods during a moral science class.

The incident came to light after an audio clip made by a parent and addressed to a VHP leader went viral on social media, leading to protests.

The protest was led by BJP MLA D. Vedavyas Kamath, who reportedly pulled up the school management and the concerned teacher for 'humiliating' Hindu Gods.

Following the incident, the school management sacked Sister Prabha.

Last Thursday, Karnataka Police had filed an FIR against Kamath and Mangaluru City North MLA Y. Bharat Shetty in connection with a protest staged to condemn the alleged incident of "humiliation of Hindu Gods" at the school.

Police also booked VHP leader Sharan Pumpwell, and Hindu activists Sandeep Garodi and Bharat Kumar.

The issue was raised in the Assembly by the BJP resulting in heated arguments between the ruling Congress government and BJP legislators.

The Congress had said that the BJP legislators had provoked the students, disturbed law and order, and a police investigation was required.