Moral policing will be dealt with iron hand, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah says

BENGALURU: Chief minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said those involved in moral policing will be charged under IPC sections by issuing a non-bailable warrant. "Moral policing is illegal and it will be dealt with an iron hand," he told reporters in New Delhi.
READ ALSO: HC has been critical of moral policing
He said he's unhappy with the way police handled those who issued threats to writer and rationalist KS Bhagavan. "They should have booked them under non-bailable offences and then arrested them to send out the message that such elements will not be tolerated," the CM said.
On the controversry brewing over the location of IIT in Karnataka, Siddaramiah said there's no politics in his recent letter to HRD minister Smriti Irani seeking a change from Dharwad to Raichur. "Dharwad is ahead in terms of education and economy compared to Raichur. So, we felt Raichur is ideal to check the regional imbalance," he added.
READ ALSO: Moral police on leash, thanks to social media
On the probe into the murder of scholar MM Kalburgi, the CM said though the needle of suspicion points to some Hindu fundamentalist organizations, it's too early to reach a conclusion and name them.
Govt won't interfere in seer probe: The chief minister said the government is not interfering in the CID investigation into alleged sexual harassment and criminal intimidation complaints against Raghaveshwara Bharathi Swami of Sri Ramachandrapura Mutt.
Reacting to National Commission for Women chairperson Lalitha Kumaramangalam's charge that the government and police were delaying filing chargesheets against the seer, he said after considering all angles, the CID will file the chargesheet. "The court has granted bail to the seer. We cannot stop the court from giving bail to the accused," he added.
READ ALSO: To 'keep holy town pure', locals drag couple out of hotel, thrash them