Karnataka man on BJP's list of 'martyrs', Ashok Poojary is still alive

Mangaluru: As Karnataka braces itself for the assembly election on May 12, a new revelation has come up which might work against BJP in the upcoming polls.

BJP levelled a charge that 23 of their workers have been killed by 'jihadi' forces in the past five years, under the Congress rule.

BJP MLA from Udupi Shobha Karandlaje wrote a letter to the Union Home Ministry in 2017 listing all 23 names.

The letter, highlighting murders of Hindu/RSS/BJP activists in Karnataka, drew considerable flak on social media as well – with names of living and unrelated people cropping up in the list.

The list had two sections. In the first, the letter stated ‘Reign of blood bath and political murders in Karnataka under the Congress government headed by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The List of Hindu/RSS Activists and BJP workers killed in the state during the last four years of Congress rule.’ Under this list, there are names of 23 people.

In another section in the same letter ‘The list of BJP/RSS workers assaulted during the last years’. It named six people.

Confined to his small home on the outskirts of Moodabidri town, about 35 km from Mangaluru, Ashok Poojary is the first name on the list of 23 in Karandlaje’s letter. According to the letter, he was killed on September 20, 2015.

The police chargesheet identified three of his attackers as Mushtafa, 28, Hanif, 36, and Kabeer, 28.

According to reports, Ashok Poojary was a member of Bajrang Dal but was never very active in the organisation. He made a living by playing instruments in music bands engaged for temple events.

After the attack, he was hospitalised for three months, racking up a bill of about Rs 8 lakh, he said. Hindutva organisations partly took care of the expenses.

Ashok Poojary is still alive and was shocked to find his name among the list of dead prepared by Karandlaje, the BJP MP.

NDTV met Ashok Poojary in his village in Udupi district. He says he was attacked in 2015 by six men riding on three motorbikes because he worked with Hindutva organisations.

Talking to NDTV, Ashok Poojary said the attackers recognised him because he was wearing a saffron scarf wrapped around his head, while returning from work. He plays the drums in a wedding band.

"I was in ICU (Intensive Care Unit) for 15 days. They thought I was going to die. But then thanks to God, I made it", he said.

Ashok Poojary says he received a call from Shobha Karandlaje, admitting that adding his name on the list was a mistake.

But the BJP continues to cite the "23 workers killed" figure. "More than 2 dozen of our workers have been killed in Karnataka", Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his campaigning for the elections in the poll bound state.

The ruling Congress in the state has debunked those claims, saying of the 23, 14 deaths had nothing to do with Muslim attackers. The reasons, they found ranged from suicide, to personal enmity.

The District President of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in Mangalore, Jagadish Shenava told NDTV that the BJP will not make false claims. "If the names are there, it must be correct", he said.