On Eid-ul-Adha, a coalition of activists submitted an urgent complaint to Bengaluru City Police demanding the preventive detention of vigilantes, including Puneet Kerehalli, who are illegally entering Muslim homes under the pretext of cow protection and inciting communal tensions.
According to the press statement on Saturday, several neighbourhoods—Tannery Road, Ahmednagar, and Shivajinagar—have seen escalating intrusions and intimidation attempts, allegedly aimed at disrupting the festival and provoking communal unrest.
“These actions amount to criminal trespass, vigilantism, and communal provocation,” reads the statement signed by prominent legal and civil society members.
The signatories include Advocates B T Venkatesh, Clifton Rozario, Maitreyi, Vinay Sreenivasan, and Dr. Sylvia Karpagam, among others. Social activists Syed Tousif Masood and Zia Nomani voiced concerns about the fragile law and order situation in the city, especially following the recent RCB event stampede.
One of the primary individuals named in the complaint is Puneet Kerehalli, who is out on bail in connection with the lynching of Idrees Pasha.
The statement cites two videos uploaded on Facebook by Puneeth Kerehalli. In one video, he claims to be outside a Muslim household and is seen entering the premises where cattle and goats are kept. In another video, he is seen arguing with locals while trying to capture the cattle.
Citing video evidence of alleged unlawful behaviour, the complainants seek preventive detention for at least three days (under applicable provisions of the CrPC or Goonda Act) for individuals like Puneet Kerehalli and others involved in similar disruptive actions.
According to activists, despite physical submissions to the offices of DCP West, East, and North, the complaints reportedly went unacknowledged due to the Eid holiday and absence of officials. This has led to accusations of bureaucratic negligence at a sensitive time.
The group has escalated the issue by emailing their concerns to senior state authorities, including the Commissioner of Police, Home Secretary, and Karnataka’s Chief Minister’s Office, calling for clear instructions to be issued to prevent unauthorised vigilante actions.
“We don’t want Bengaluru to go the way of Dakshina Kannada,” the statement warns, referencing the coastal district’s reputation for communal violence.
