A bus carrying students in Karnataka has been seized after police discovered inscriptions allegedly glorifying fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim, sparking an investigation into potential threats to national integration.
Police on Saturday seized a private bus and registered a case against its driver and owner after it was found carrying inscriptions allegedly glorifying fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim.
The incident came to light on March 26 when the vehicle, bearing a Tamil Nadu registration number, was travelling through Chikkamagaluru district with 48 students on board returning from a college trip, officials said.
According to the FIR, a police team from Basavanahalli Police Station received a tip-off at around 3 pm that a private vehicle was displaying slogans glorifying Dawood.
Officials said the inscriptions of Dawood, who is declared a terrorist by India, were displayed in a way that undermined the nation's sovereignty and integrity.
The students, from an engineering college in Coimbatore, were returning from a trip to Dandeli in the Uttara Kannada district. The bus was operated by a travel agency, a senior police officer said.
The bus was seized and taken to the police station, and an alternative vehicle was arranged for the students to continue their journey.
The driver, who was detained and questioned, claimed he was only operating the vehicle, while the owner, based in Coimbatore, was asked to join the inquiry. Police are investigating the reason behind the inscriptions.
Police have registered a case on their own against the driver and owner under Section 197(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (imputations prejudicial to national integration), and the investigation is ongoing, the officer added.