I will not defend Munirathna, or anyone who abuses Dalits, just because he is in my party, says BJP MP Ramesh Jigajinagi
The Hindu
An audio recording of a conversation between the complainant contractor Cheluvaraju and MLA Munirathna, is the key evidence in the case. Bengaluru police have recorded voice samples of the arrested MLA and sent them to the Forensic Science Laboratory, Madiwala.
“I will not defend any person who abuses Dalits, even if he belongs to my party. I will not defend MLA Munirathna just because is a BJP member,” Ramesh Jigajinagi, MP and BJP leader, said in Vijayapura on September 16.
“If Munirathna has committed the offence that he has been accused of, of insulting Dalits, let him face legal action. Let the police investigate the matter and initiate action against him. I will not speak about it. I will not defend such persons only because we are in the same party,” Mr Jigajinagi told reporters.
BJP MLA Munirathna (Rajarajeshwari Nagar in Bengaluru) was arrested on September 15 in connection with allegedly threatening a civil contractor, demanding a bribe, and using casteist slurs. He has been remanded into police custody for two days.
He was detained at Nangli in Kolar district when he was heading to Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh.
Bengaluru police have recorded voice samples of the arrested MLA and sent them to the Forensic Science Laboratory, Madiwala. An audio recording of a conversation between the complainant contractor Cheluvaraju and MLA Munirathna, is the key evidence in the case.
In the audio clip, the man purported to be MLA Munirathna is heard hurling casteist abuses against a Scheduled Caste community and danding a bribe, threatening the contractor. The audio clip has already been sent for FSL, Madiwala. The voice in the audio clip will be matched with voice samples collected from MLA Munirathna.
Denying allegations against him, Mr. Munirathna has said that the voice in the audio clip is not his, and he would resign as an MLA if the voice was proved to be his.
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