Glorification of gangster : Tamil Nadu bus owner’s D-love lands Dawood in Karnataka police net

CHIKKAMAGALUR: A Tamil Nadu tourist bus owner took his admiration for designated terrorist Dawood Ibrahim a tad too far that the police took note and seized his vehicle.

The bus that was on a college trip to Chikkamagaluru in Karnataka was returning to Coimbatore on Thursday, when the police stopped the vehicle for its ‘daring’ declaration of love for the Dawood Ibrahim gang (popularly known as D-company), with phrases such as ‘gangs of Mumbai,’ ‘real don,’ and ‘underworld’ inscribed on its body.

The police seized the bus and registered a case against its driver and owner for inscriptions allegedly glorifying the fugitive gangster.

The vehicle, bearing a Tamil Nadu registration number, was carrying 48 students from an engineering college in Coimbatore and was returning from a trip to Dandeli in the north Karnataka district, police officers said.

According to the FIR, a police team from the Basavanahalli Police Station received a tip-off around 3 pm on Thursday, saying a private vehicle was displaying slogans glorifying Dawood.

Officers reason that glorifying Dawood, who is declared a terrorist by India, were displayed in a way that undermined the nation’s sovereignty and integrity.

The bus, operated by a travel agency, was seized and taken to the police station, and an alternative vehicle was arranged for the students to continue their journey, they added.

The driver, who was detained and questioned, claimed he was only driving the vehicle; the owner, who is based in Coimbatore, was asked to join the inquiry.

The police have registered a case against the driver and owner under Section 197(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (imputations prejudicial to national integration), and are investigating the reason behind the inscriptions.

Meanwhile, taking note of the incident, the Coimbatore police have issued a stern warning against inscribing provocative messages on vehicles.

Reiterating guidelines, police stressed that vehicles should carry only socially responsible or awareness-oriented messages.

“Any content that promotes violence or glorifies criminal elements will not be tolerated; such vehicles will be seized and strict legal action will follow,” the officer said.

The Coimbatore police have also launched a parallel inquiry to ascertain the intent behind the inscriptions on the particular bus.