FIR filed against rationalist KS Bhagwan for hurting religious sentiments

Mangaluru An FIR has been registered against rationalist freethinker and Kannada writer K S Bhagwan who is facing the wrath of fringe rightwing oufits and threats to his life for allegedly outraging religious feelingsPolice said the FIR was filed at a police station in Dakshina Kannada district based on a complaint against the writer whose utterances on Hinduism and Hindu Gods have come under vicious attacks from fringe rightwing outfits prompting police to provide security to the Mysurubased writerSections 295 A and 153 B of IPC have been invoked against Bhagwan they saidWhile 295A relates to deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs section 153B imputations assertions prejudicial to national integrationWonderfulIm ready to face let the law take its own course Bhagwan told PTI reacting to the FIRHe said that in the name of religion the reactionary elements have wounded our feelings they feel the suppressed sections of the society dont have feelings because they are mostly muteIn his complaint Shyama Sudarshan Bhat a resident of Hosamoole in Belthangady in the district alleged Bhagwan as also some other writers had made derogatory references to Hinduism and Hindu Gods at a function held in Bengaluru on September 19 hurting the religious sentiments of the peopleHe alleged they had spoken ill against the Ramayana and the Mahabharata and also Hindu Gods and made disparaging remarks about Lord Rama and even said those who read the Bhagavad Gita will become terroristsThe remarks had hurt Hindu sentiments and were against the law and a punishable offence the complainant saidHome Minister K J George during a visit to the city on September 8 had said it had not come to his notice that Bhagwan had made any derogatory statement against Hinduism If a complaint came up police would register an FIR he had saidSeveral hate messages had appeared in the social mediaagainst Bhagwan of late for his controversial remarksSeventyyear old Bhagwan a retired English professor inMysuru is a recipient of many awards including the KarnatakaRajyotsava awardMeanwhile a man working as a hostel warden and priest hasbeen arrested at Hubballi in north Karnataka for allegedlymaking threat calls to Karnatka Sahitya Academy for choosingBhagwan for annual honorary Awards for Lifetime Achievementfor 2013The arrested person was tracked down yesterday through themobile phone used by him police said todayDeputy Commissioner of Police Bengaluru Central SandeepPatil said the man was produced before a court and remanded tojudicial custodyFollowing the announcement of the award to be presentedto Bhagwan and others on November 7 in Dharwad SahityaAcademy had complained about receiving the threat callAcademy officials had also said they had received severalabusive calls for choosing Bhagwan for the award followingwhich police had provided security to the literary bodyRecently a letter threatening Bhagwan was delivered tohis residence at Mysuru which came close on the heels of themurder of another noted Kannada progressive thinker andscholar M M Kalburgi in DharwadBhagwan had earlier incurred the wrath of rightwingactivists for allegedly disparaging the Bhagavad Gita whilespeaking at a programme in Mysuru in February this yearEarlier a Bajrang Dal local activist was arrested inDakshina Kannada district a day after Kalburgi was gunneddown on August 30 for allegedly posting remarks on Twitterthreatening Bhagwan for his derogatory remarks on GitaMeanwhile an online petition addressed to the President ofKarnataka Sahitya Academy the Chief Minister and the Governorof Karnataka seeking reconsideration of the awardees list forchanges and rectification has got over 9100 supportersThe petition under the heading Karnataka Sahitya Academyawardees list must be reconsidered for changes andrectification was signed by an individual named RohithChakrathirtha three days agoIt is our rightful demand and appeal with the Academy tostrike off Bhagavans name from the published list It isclear that not because of intellectual and academic excellenceand dexterity he is enlisted but because of hurting the faithof majority Hindus by his maligning and thoughtlessstatements the petition states