Video of BSY's talk with cop on murder raises hackles

A video showing BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa telling a ‘police officer’ over phone not to harass some Hindu youths in a murder case in Hassan has gone viral on the social media.

It has also landed Yeddyurappa in controversy with the Congress accusing him of interfering in a murder case. The BJP on Monday said nothing much should be made out of the video.The 13-second video shows Yeddyurappa seated on a sofa in a room telling the person at the other end of the phone, “You have already arrested 14-15 Hindu youths. A few more are being harassed. Please do not do such things in future. It will not be nice as situation in Arsikere may get disturbed. Peace may get disturbed”.

It looks like the video was shot on a mobile phone. It has been uploaded on YouTube and has gone viral.

The incident in Arsikere, Hassan district pertains to the stabbing of a youth, Emanuel Varun, to death in broad daylight on May 29. Violence erupted following the incident. The police have made several arrests, but denied any communal angle.

Congress spokesperson Brijesh Kalappa has posted the video on his Facebook page and accused Yeddyurappa of interfering in the investigation. Kalappa has charged that Yeddyurappa was speaking to Hassan SP Rahul Kumar Shahapurwad and accused the BJP leader of threatening the police officer.

Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, BJP spokesperson Suresh Kumar and co-spokesperson Malavika Avinash questioned the veracity and authenticity of the video. “Who has recorded the video? When was it shot? We even do not know where it originated from and in what context it was shot,” they said.

Suresh Kumar said even if the video was proved to be authentic, Yeddyurappa was not doing anything illegal.

“He is only telling the person at the other end of the phone not to harass innocent people. He is not interfering in the investigation”, he said.

Sources in the BJP said Yeddyurappa during his visit to Arsikere and Hassan did speak to a police officer. As many as 11 people have been arrested in connection with the murder and 13 persons have been arrested for their reported involvement in the following incidents of violence.

The police claim that they have video evidence of the incidents of violence and people involved in it.