The attack by Hindutva vigilantes on three cattle transporters in Ramanagara on March 31, which left one of them dead, happened extremely close to a police station, raising questions about whether the police deliberately looked away from the crime. When TNM visited the crime site on April 3, we found that the spot near Bengaluru-Kanakapura road where the gang stopped the cattle van is less than 300 metres from the Sathanur police station. The next morning, the body of cattle transporter Idrees Pasha was found merely 500 metres from the same police station. It is difficult to fathom how the Sathanur police missed such a major attack right under their nose in the nighttime, when it would’ve been hard to miss even during the day when the streets are buzzing with people and traffic. The attack happened close to midnight, when the shops were closed and people had retired for the day. How did the armed sentry outside the police station not see that a gang had waylaid a vehicle just 300 metres away?
Idrees Pasha was discovered dead on the morning of April 1, just 500 metres from the Sathanur police station. Given that the incident occurred in full view of the police station, Witnesses said that Idrees may have been attempting to flee from cow vigilantes before he was attacked. CCTV footage obtained by TNM showed him walking past a bakery at 11.43 pm, only a few steps away from where his body was later found in a prostrating position. Residents who discovered his body in the morning reported that it appeared as if he had been praying for protection. One resident, Amjad, said, "I saw a crowd gathered on my way to work. The man's body was in the namaaz (Muslim prayer) position as if he was praying to Allah for protection." Photographs of the victim's body revealed bruises and burn marks. The fact that the Idrees’ body was found very close to the Sathanur police station, yet went unnoticed, raises questions about the complicity of the police in the tragedy.
On March 31, Idrees, along with his two colleagues Syed Zaheer (the driver) and Irfan, had set off at 9 pm from Mandya to Tamil Nadu via Ramanagara district with 16 cows in their van. However, they were stopped by self-proclaimed cow vigilantes led by Puneeth Kerehalli, a Hindutva leader from Bengaluru, near Sathanur Circle, just 500 metres away from the police station at around 11.30 pm. Puneeth accused the trio of illegally transporting cattle and ordered them to step out of the container. Three other vigilantes checked the container and found cattle inside. The whole incident was live streamed on Puneeth’s Facebook account. Frightened by the sight of Zaheer being restrained by Puneeth and others, Idrees and Irfan fled in different directions.
Despite Zaheer producing a permit for cattle transportation, Puneeth took him to the police station and filed a complaint against the three for alleged illegal transportation of cattle.
The next morning at 5.30 am, the police registered a second FIR based on Zaheer’s statements, booking four individuals including Puneeth, under sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 341 (wrongful restraint), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), and 149 (constructive liability of every person of an unlawful assembly) of the Indian Penal Code. Around 6.30 am, residents alerted the police about a body found nearby, which turned out to be that of Idrees Pasha.
After protests from Idrees’s family, a third FIR was registered on the basis of the victim’s brother Yunus Pasha's statement, alleging that Puneeth demanded a payment of Rs 2 lakh to let them go. The police booked Puneeth Kerehalli and his associates for murder and wrongful restraint.
Puneeth is known to frequently intercept cattle transportation, and has uploaded several videos on his Facebook profile where he claims to "rescue" cattle from vehicles. On the night of March 31, at around 11.50 pm he even live-streamed the incident on Facebook in front of the Sathanur police station. During the livestream, Puneeth expressed gratitude towards his associates, Pavan, Siddalinga, and Gopi. Puneeth's associate can also be heard in the video saying, "Two others ran away," implying that Idrees and Irfan had managed to escape from the cow vigilantes.
Four days after the incident, while the police were unable to locate him, Puneeth posted a 15-minute video rant claiming that he was being framed for Idrees's murder by political opponents. He denied any involvement in the crime and asserted his willingness to cooperate with the investigation, but he did not mention turning himself over to the authorities. He also admitted to having monitored the cattle van involved in the incident and encouraged viewers to check its number plate, claiming that he had already handed it over to the police. He questioned why no case was filed despite his actions. Later in the video, he contradicted himself by stating that an FIR had been filed at Kirugavalu police station, questioning how the container was still transporting cattle. The Kirugavalu police have denied having any knowledge of such a case or individuals involved in illegal cattle transportation.
Puneeth Kerehalli is the leader of a far-right Hindutva group called Raastra Rakshana Pade, which translates to "national security force." He is believed to have close ties with Bharatiya Janata Party as pictures have emerged of him with some top leaders in Karnataka. His group has been actively campaigning for various causes, including boycotting Muslim vendors near Hindu temples and opposing the consumption of halal food in Karnataka. Puneeth is emboldened by the law that criminalises cattle transportation for slaughter within the state, with exceptions for buffaloes above the age of 13 and terminally ill cattle. While it is not illegal to take cattle to another state for sale, activists and experts warn that even legitimate transportation of cattle is risky due to self-proclaimed 'cow protectors.'
TNM reached out to the police for their reaction to this report multiple times, but we did not receive a response. The Superintendent of Police and the Sub Inspector incharge of the case were unavailable when we visited their offices.
On April 5, five days after the incident, Puneeth and four others were arrested from Rajasthan’s Banswara district.