Poet, scribe held for recital of ''anti-CAA'' poem released on

A poet and a journalist have been arrested in connection with the recital of a poem against

the CAA and NRC at a government-sponsored function in Koppal district of Karnataka last month, police said.

Later, the Judicial Magistrate of Gangavathi in Koppal district granted them bail.

The arrests were made based on a complaint from a BJP functionary alleging that Siraj Bisaralli, the poet, had

recited an anti-CAA poem at 'Anegundi Utsava' in Gangavathi town of Koppal district in January and Rajabaxi, editor of an

online news portal, uploaded it on the social media. Police had registered a case against them under

section 505 of IPC (statements conducing to public mischief). On Tuesday, Bisaralli and Rajabaxi surrendered before

a court in that district, which rejected their bail plea and remanded them in police custody for investigation into the

matter. "Siraj had recited the poem and Rajabaxi had shared it

on the social media. Based on a complaint by the BJP leader the case was registered under section 505 of the IPC. They

went absconding after that and surrendered before the court on Tuesday," a police officer told PTI.

The duo sought an interim bail, which the public prosecutor objected to and sought police custody to conduct

inquiry. The court sent Bisaralli and Rajabaxi to police

custody till Wednesday afternoon. "We may not seek further extension of their custody

until some fresh evidences surface. We have seized their mobile phones to ascertain whom they had shared the details

with," the police said. The matter found an echo in the Karnataka Assembly

when JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy raised the matter during debate on the deteriorating law and order situation in the

state. Reciting the entire poem in the House, Kumaraswamy

sought to know what was wrong in that poem that the poet was booked and arrested.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)