Rent a riot: Muthalik caught on camera accepting money

By TwoCircles.net Staff Correspondent,

Bangalore: The Karnataka state government today assured action against the Sri Ram Sene chief Pramod Muthalik who was caught on camera agreeing to vandalise an art exhibition in return for money. The expose was made in the sting operation jointly conducted by the magazine ‘Tehelka’ and the ‘news channel ‘Headlines Today’ and was broadcast on Thursday night.

Muthalik was caught on camera as receiving an advance contribution of Rs 10,000 for vandalizing an art exhibition for a reporter of the ‘Tehelka’ who posed as an artist. The total cost for vandalizing the exhibition was fixed at Rs 60 lakh by the Sene’s leaders. The reporter had asked for the Sene’s help to ‘shoot to fame like artist MF Hussain’ for which the Sene’s leaders proposed to vandalise his art exhibition and thus create a controversy. Muthalik is reported to have suggested that the exhibition be organized in Mangalore or the state capital Bangalore.

“Tehelka first met with Muthalik at the Sene office in Hubli. Before laying out the proposal of a preengineered attack on the art exhibition, a cash donation of Rs 10,000 is offered to Muthalik — “Hindutva ke liye hum bhi kuch karen (We want to do our bit for Hindutva).” Muthalik immediately reaches for the money and puts it in his pocket, without even a token refusal,” said the cover story of Tehelka Magazine (Vol 7, Issue 20, Dated May 22, 2010).

According to the magazine, Muthalik led the ‘artist’ to meet other leaders of the outfit – Prasad Attavar, national vice-president, and Vasant Kumar Bhavani, head of the Bangalore unit. Attavar told the ‘artist’ that 50 persons would be indulging in arson ‘just like that pub case’ referring to the Mangalore pub incident in which the Sene activists beat up women in a pub for ‘insulting the Indian culture’. And Mr Bhavani even suggested that the Karnataka Waqf Board Minister Mumtaz Ali Khan be invited to the art exhibition to be organized in ‘their (Muslim) area’.

The reporter met Attavar twice at the Mangalore jail and once inside the Bellary jail, according to the report. When this was brought to the notice of the state Home Minister, he said that the government did not have any report on the matter and that if got, the police would take necessary action. The minister has reportedly asked the Headlines Today for the tapes of the sting operation.

Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa informed the media that the police would take necessary action on the matter. He and the Home Minister VS Acharya also distanced themselves from any connections with the Ram Sene or its chief. The CM also recalled that the government had taken action against the Sene’s attacks on churches.

Following fire from all sides, Muthalik today filed a complaint with the police at Belgaum and sought an inquiry into the sting operation. He alleged that the move was an attempt to malign his image. The Sene leader also denied any association of his outfit with the ruling BJP government in the state saying the government had filed several cases against him. Muthalik denied all allegations against him, despite having been caught on camera, and said he was ready for a CBI or a CID probe.

[Shots from Tehelka]]