Bengaluru, Aug 21 Karnataka Police arrested activist Mahesh Shetty Thimarody on Thursday from his residence in Ujire, Udupi district, for allegedly making derogatory remarks against BJP National Organising Secretary B.L. Santhosh, amid high drama.
Thimarody has been at the forefront of the movement demanding justice for victims in the mass grave case against the Dharmasthala temple management.
According to police, he had abused B.L. Santhosh in a video, alleging that it was Santhosh who dragged the Dharmasthala temple into the mass grave case to divert the issue.
Following a complaint filed by one Rajiv Kulal at the Brahmavar police station, the police registered an FIR under Sections 196 (1), 352, and 353 (2) of the BNS Act.
Despite receiving two summons to appear for investigation, Thimarody failed to comply. In his reply to the latest notice, he stated that he would attend the inquiry only after 15 days.
On Thursday, about 30 police personnel arrived at his residence in eight vehicles and took him into custody. Other activists, including women, confronted the police and objected to the action, insisting that he should be questioned at home instead of taking him to the police station.
Since Thimarody refused to travel in a police vehicle, the police allowed him to go in his own car with cops. On the way to the station, he told reporters that the government would be responsible if anything happened to him.
“They have taken me into custody in a false case. The BJP has fabricated documents. Justice should prevail in the alleged Sowjanya gang rape and murder case reported in Dharmasthala, and the real culprits must be arrested,” he said.
Meanwhile, activist Snehamayi Krishna filed a complaint at the Dharmasthala police station against Thimarody, Girish Mattannanavar, YouTuber Sameer M.D., and Sujatha Bhat, who is also a complainant in the medical student Ananya Bhat missing case.
In his complaint, Snehamayi Krishna alleged that Sujatha Bhat lied by claiming she had a daughter named Ananya Bhat.
He said it has been proven that she does not have such a daughter. According to him, she showed a photo of a woman named Vasanthi and claimed, “This is my daughter Ananya Bhat.” He further alleged that Thimarody, Mattannanavar, and Sameer used her name to spread false allegations and collectively insulted the holy shrine.
Police sources also revealed that they have launched a hunt for YouTuber Sameer, who allegedly released videos directly accusing the Dharmasthala temple management in the mass grave case. Although police searched his residence in Jigani, Bengaluru, Sameer managed to escape.
In a separate development, a woman from Mandya claiming to be the first wife of the masked complainant in the Dharmasthala case came forward, accusing him of making false allegations for money. She stated that she married him in 1999 and lived with him for seven years, during which they had two children.
“He always lied and used to assault and cheat me. We lived in Dharmasthala for seven years, where he worked cleaning and washing bathrooms. My mother raised our children because he never took responsibility. He never mentioned anything about burying hundreds of bodies,” she said.
“I recognized him immediately when I saw him on television, just by his physical appearance. He is tarnishing the image of the temple, and nothing good will come of it,” she added.
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