Mangaluru, Sept 2: Arun Kumar Puthila, a prominent Hindutva figure from coastal Karnataka and a BJP leader, is facing serious allegations of sexual assault and blackmail.
A 47-year-old woman has filed a complaint claiming that Puthila invited her to a Bengaluru hotel in June of the previous year. There, she alleges he threatened to commit suicide and assaulted her sexually against her will.
The woman further accuses Puthila of making false promises to care for her and her daughter, while using compromising selfies, photographs, and audio and video recordings to blackmail her.
She also reported a decline in Puthila’s communication following the recent Lok Sabha elections.
In response to her allegations, the Women’s Police Station has filed a case under IPC Sections 354(A) (sexual harassment) and 506 (criminal intimidation). Dakshina Kannada SP Yathish N has confirmed that an investigation is currently underway.
It is noteworthy that Puthila, who unsuccessfully ran as an independent candidate against the BJP from the Puttur assembly constituency in the last elections, rejoined the party in March this year. He had previously contested the elections after being denied a BJP ticket, ultimately losing to Puttur MLA Ashok Kumar Rai by a margin of 4,149 votes.
Puthila, who established the Puthila Parivar—later merged with the BJP—has reportedly caused dissatisfaction among some members of both the Parivar and the BJP.
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