Prakash Raj breaks silence on Dharmasthala; says passed on info to SIT

Bengaluru, 

Multi-lingual actor Prakash Raj on Wednesday said C N Chinnaiah-who had made allegations of “multiple murders, rapes and burials” in the temple town of Dharmasthala-had spoken to him over the phone and sent him information through an audio recording, which he promptly shared with the SIT chief probing the case. Addressing a press conference, Raj said Chinnaiah had contacted him seeking to share information. The clarification from the actor came in the wake of Chinnaiah’s recent writ petition to the High Court, which claims a conspiracy involving monetary supplies aimed at defaming Dharmasthala and mentions Raj’s name.

Raj said he received a call from activist Girish Mattannavar, stating that Chinnaiah wanted to speak to him. According to Raj, Chinnaiah, who spoke in Tamil over the phone, wanted to meet him personally, but he declined, saying he was not a police officer. When Chinnaiah insisted, he asked him to record whatever information he had and send it across. “As a citizen, what should I do? I got information from a fellow whom everybody is speculating about. Immediately, I contacted SIT chief Pronab Mohanty,” Raj said.

The actor said he later met the SIT chief and handed over the recording sent to him by Chinnaiah. “The SIT chief said, ‘Thank you, Prakash, this is good evidence. If you get any further information, let me know’,” Raj claimed. When the actor followed up with the SIT subsequently, he was informed that certain aspects of Chinnaiah’s claims did not tally and that Chinnaiah was changing his version. “After that, I ended the matter,” he said. Referring to reports about Rs 200 crore mentioned in Chinnaiah’s writ petition, Raj said the public had a right to know wheth er he had spoken to Chinnaiah and what information had been shared.

“So I am coming here and saying, yes, he spoke to me. And I immediately gave it to the SIT chief, which you can cross-check with him. This is where it ends. That’s my responsibility and accountability,” he said, adding that it was for the police and investigators to establish the facts. The writ petition was filed before the Karnataka High Court, in which Chinnaiah claimed he was used as part of a larger conspiracy, involving funds to malign Dharmasthala. He sought directions to the SIT to complete its probe and take action against those allegedly involved.

He allegedly named activist Mahesh Shetty Timarodi, Girish Mattannavar, Vitthal Gowda and Jayant, among others, accusing them of “orchestrating a campaign” against Dharmasthala. High Court Judge Justice Suraj Govindaraj issued notices to the state government and the SIT, directing them to submit a status report on the investigation by June 29. Chinnaiah also reportedly mentioned Raj in the petition, along with details of a purported phone conversation with him. A controversy surrounding Dharmasthala erupted last year after a complainant, later identified as C N Chinnaiah. 

Raj: Election of Lankesh murder accused tragic

Reacting to the election of Shrikanth Pangarkar, an accused in the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh, as a corporator in the recent municipal polls in Jalna, actor and activist Prakash Raj described the development as “a tragedy” and criticised what he termed the public’s reluctance to question those in power.

“Look at the tragedy. It is a tragedy. This is the irony of this country. People do not want to ask questions. A rapist comes out on bail whenever there is an election to seek votes. People accused in the Gauri Lankesh case were garlanded. Yesterday, somebody slapped the CJP (Cockroach Janata Party) leader, and today he is being garlanded. Nobody wants to report it. “There is Ayodhya, where crores of rupees have allegedly been siphoned off, but they do not want to talk about it. They do not want to discuss electoral bonds either. All political parties have received electoral bonds.