BENGALURU: Hindu activist Puneeth Kerehalli and his supporters were taken into custody by the Bannerghatta police for ‘raiding’ the houses of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. He was later released on bail.
The activists had recently conducted a raid against Bangladeshi immigrants on the outskirts of Bengaluru. Puneeth Kerehalli, leader of the Hindu Rashtra Rakska Pada, was among those detained. The police had also taken Dr Nagendra, a local doctor, into custody.
Puneeth Kerehalli exposed a network of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in Bengaluru with fake Aadhaar voter IDs and bank loans up to 4.5 lakh rupees.
Instead of action against the infiltrators police arrested him.
The message is loud and clear — vote bank politics is more… https://t.co/dXMGEBGNd0 pic.twitter.com/Usw88ozf9s
— Team Hindu United (@TeamHinduUnited) January 17, 2026
The activists had exposed the Bangladeshi immigrants being in possession of Aadhaar and PAN cards. The arrest was made at the behest of Left-leaning groups, who reportedly pressured the government to take action, it is alleged. Activists had also gathered in front of the police station in large numbers.
After his release on bail Puneeth Kerehalli stated that the fight against Bangladeshi immigrants will continue. He accused the Congress government of being pro-immigrant and claimed that his team is working to identify and report such immigrants to the police.
Police produce Puneeth Kerehalli before Anekhali court.
A spineless Congress arrests a native Kannadiga just to shield its illegal Muslim vote bank.
This will be remembered by every Kannadiga.
While one native is jailed, many self styled language warriors aka… https://t.co/ajtITM5MAc pic.twitter.com/SGfR4IBCLc
— Kiran Aradhya (@KiranAradhyaadv) January 17, 2026
Puneeth Kerehalli alleged that the government is succumbing to Left-leaning pressure and that the police detained him without notice. He also claimed that the charges against him are bailable and that the government is appeasing Left-leaning groups.
