A suo motu case has been registered against Anantkumar Hegde, BJP MP from Uttara Kannada, on the charge of insulting Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
The case was registered in Mundgod in Uttara Kannada district on Saturday.
The MP faces charges under IPC sections dealing with wanton provocation of a riot, insulting the religion of a class of people, uttering words with a deliberate intent to hurt religious feelings, and inciting mischief, police sources said.
During a party meeting at Pala village near Mundgod on February 23, Mr. Hegde allegedly called the Chief Minister “Siddaramullah Khan” and alleged that he was engaged in Muslim appeasement.
He also accused the Chief Minister of making false charges against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, about devolution of taxes to Karnataka. “While the other States have no problem, what is Siddaramullah Khan’s problem?,” he said.
In the speech, Mr. Hegde had termed the protesting farmers in New Delhi “Khalistanis” funded by foreign powers and not real farmers.
