Two Arrested For 'Pro-Pakistan, Anti-Kannada' Graffiti At Toyota Factory In Karnataka

The police launched an extensive investigation, analyzing CCTV footage, conducting handwriting analysis, and questioning hundreds of employees before making the arrests.

After the factory’s first shift employees found the slogans on March 16, the company issued an internal notice cautioning workers against such acts.

Source : ABPLIVE AI

Karnataka Police have apprehended two individuals in connection with pro-Pakistan slogans found on the walls of the Toyota Boshoku Automotive India Company factory near Bidadi in Ramanagara district. The incident, which occurred on March 16, has sparked widespread outrage among factory employees and activists.

The arrested individuals, identified as 24-year-old Haimad Hussain and 20-year-old Sadiq, were contract workers at the factory and are natives of northern Karnataka. Authorities launched an extensive investigation, analyzing CCTV footage, conducting handwriting analysis, and questioning hundreds of employees before making the arrests. The graffiti, written in Kannada using green paint, reportedly included slogans praising Pakistan and derogatory remarks about Karnataka’s people, as per a report on IANS.

After the factory’s first shift employees found the slogans on March 16, the company issued an internal notice cautioning workers against such acts. However, as news of the incident spread, thousands of employees and pro-Kannada activists staged protests outside the facility, demanding immediate action. Protesters alleged that a similar case had been ignored the previous year and called for severe punishment for those involved.

In response to the uproar, Toyota Boshoku Automotive India warned employees that any such activities would be treated as sedition and lead to legal consequences. The company emphasised that such acts threatened workplace harmony and discipline, assuring that strict measures would be enforced.

Following a complaint from the company’s HR department, the Bidadi Police registered a case and initiated legal proceedings, reported India Today. The accused have been booked under sections of the IT Act and BNS Act. Officials are continuing the investigation to determine if any additional individuals were involved.

Issues Reaches Vidhana Soudha

The incident has also made its way to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, where Opposition Leader R. Ashoka criticised the government, accusing it of inaction. He expressed concerns over repeated instances of pro-Pakistan slogans appearing in Karnataka and questioned the administration’s commitment to maintaining law and order.

"Slogans of 'Pakistan Zindabad' were written in four different locations on the walls of the Toyota factory. The company has filed a police complaint. Where have we reached? Earlier, 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogans were raised inside the Vidhana Soudha. Now, such an incident has occurred in a reputed company like Toyota, which employs 10,000 people. The government has taken no action and is trying to cover it up. People are asking whether this government has any shame left," he remarked, as per the report.