Mangaluru : Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) Dakshina Pranta executive president M.B. Puranik has urged the government to arrest writer K.S. Bhagavan for his reported statements demeaning Lord Rama, the epics Mahabharata and Ramayana, and the seers Madhwacharya and Shankaracharya.

“If you continue to be soft on him, there will be heartburn among devotees and this might result in outburst in any form,” Mr. Puranik said in a press conference here on Wednesday.

Mr. Puranik alleged that the way Mr. Bhagavan was going on making speeches demeaning Lord Rama and the Hindu saints despite complaints against him gave an impression that he enjoyed the support of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

The police should arrest Mr. Bhagavan based on the two FIRs registered against him, he said.

When pointed that the State government had not arrested VHP leader Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat for his alleged hate speech, VHP Dakshina Kannada unit president Jagadish Shenva said, “We are made to attend courts for every hearing. Let similar action be taken against Mr. Bhagavan.”

He said if no action was taken, they would be forced to file a private complaint before a local magistrate. “We are legally fighting against Mr. Bhagavan, who has no authority to hurt the sentiments of a particular section of society.”

Mr. Puranik condemned the police for making derogatory statements regarding Raghaveshwara Teertha Swami of Ramachandrapura Mutt, who has been accused of sexually assaulting two women, demeaning the seer in the eyes of his devotees. He also condemned statements made by a few organisations accusing D. Veerendra Heggade of land-grabbing and mismanagement of Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala.