Bhatkal: Police have registered a case against Hindutva leader Govind Naik for allegedly using abusive language and behaving in an unruly manner with senior police officers during a protest outside the police station in Bhatkal.

According to sources, the incident took place on Wednesday night when protesters had gathered outside the police station in connection with a controversial moral policing case. A video purportedly showing Naik speaking to police officials in an aggressive and threatening tone later went viral on social media, prompting questions from several quarters over the absence of immediate action.

The controversy stems from an alleged moral policing incident reported on Sagar Road in Bhatkal. Shahid Khan, a Muslim youth, had filed a complaint alleging that he was assaulted by three individuals. Subsequently, a Hindu woman who was travelling in Khan's car lodged a separate complaint, alleging that he had taken her in his vehicle against her wishes.

Following the woman's complaint and the protest outside the police station, police arrested Shahid Khan and remanded him to judicial custody. He was later lodged in the district jail at Karwar.

Meanwhile, no arrests have been reported so far in connection with the assault and moral policing complaint filed by Khan against the three accused.