Tumakuru: Assistant Prof arrested for writing a book with religiously inflammatory content

Tumakuru: An assistant professor with a teacher’s education college here was arrested for allegedly penning down derogatory remarks about religion in a book which he authored.

Acting on a complaint, Tumakuru police have arrested BR Ramachandriah (56), of Akshaya College, who is also a former member of the Tumkur University academic council.

A city-based lawyer named Roshan Nawaz filed a complaint at the New Extension police under section 157 of CrPC against the author and publisher of the book ‘Moulya Darshana-The Essence of Value Education.’

It is alleged that a portion of the book authored by B R Ramachandriah and published by Halatti Lokesh, a designer with Vismaya Prakashana, makes derogatory and distasteful remarks against Islam and hurts the religious sentiments of the Muslim community.

The complaint also alleged that the book was suggested as reading material for third-semester Bachelor of Education students. “Since the book disturbs communal harmony and spreads hate, stringent action should be taken against the publisher and the author,” Nawaz demanded.

However, Tumkur University has denied any link between the institution and the author. The author was an academic council member some years ago, but the university has not prescribed his book for students, clarified Vice-Chancellor Prof YS Sidde Gowda.

Meanwhile, members of the Popular Front of India (PFI) have urged the government to issue a complete ban on the book that was first published in 2019. They demanded that all 1,000 copies of the book printed so far must be destroyed.