Mangaluru: A midnight police operation targeting residences of karyakartas of the Rashtriya Swaymsevak Sangh and Hindu leaders without any formal charges or warrants has triggered sharp criticism from civil rights activists and community leaders, raising fears of an emerging “police state” in Karnataka. The Karnataka High Court has now issued a notice to Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police (SP) Arun following a petition filed by Uppinangady resident and senior citizen U.G. Radha, whose home was reportedly raided without explanation.
The petitioner accused police of forcibly taking photographs of her home and uploading GPS coordinates in the dead of night on June 1, claiming it was done under “orders from higher authorities”—but failed to provide any official documents or warrants during the operation. According to Radha, this unprovoked act amounted to harassment, defamation, and a direct violation of her fundamental right to personal liberty and dignity. She has sought Rs 20 lakh in compensation for the alleged emotional and mental trauma caused by the intrusion.
The incident took place in the wake of communal unrest following the murder of Hindu activist Suhas Shetty. In an alleged overreach, police visited several RSS and Hindu leaders’ homes—none of whom were linked to the incident—and conducted similar night-time operations, sparking fears and outrage within the community.
High Court judge Justice Sunil Dutt Yadav, hearing Radha’s petition, has directed the SP to submit records and clarify under what legal authority such actions were taken. The court further ordered that no further action be taken against the RSS leader involved without due legal procedure.
Radha has also filed separate complaints with the State Police Complaints Authority and the National Human Rights Commission, both of which have independently issued notices to the district police chief. Advocate Arun Shyam represented the petitioner in the High Court.
Social media clampdown and rising concerns
Amid mounting criticism of police overreach, Mangaluru Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy has warned social media users against discussing criminal investigations online. “Making unsolicited allegations or conducting parallel ‘investigations’ on social media platforms will attract criminal action,” he said, adding that law enforcement decisions must be based on admissible evidence, not online speculation. His remarks are being widely interpreted as an attempt to silence public discourse over rising police excesses.
Police notice to Chakravarthy Sulibele sparks further uproar
In a separate development, police have issued a notice to prominent orator and thinker Chakravarthy Sulibele ahead of his three-day lecture event titled “Only After Creating Akhand Bharat Shall I Rest,” scheduled to take place in Kundapura from June 20 to 22. The event, organised by Niranjan Shetty and others, had received prior approval but was later subjected to police-imposed conditions following complaints from NSUI, which alleged Sulibele promotes divisive speech.
Sulibele took to social media to criticize the police action, calling it a “covert attempt at ideological exile” and an indirect gag on free speech. The move has drawn ire from civil society members, who argue that while hate speech must be monitored, pre-emptively targeting individuals based on ideology without evidence amounts to censorship.
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