Bhatkal:  A case has been filed against Canara MP Ananthkumar Hegde for hoisting a saffron flag without permission at Tengangundi port in the Heble Gram Panchayat area.

The Bhatkal Rural Police Station has registered a case against MP Ananthkumar Hegde and over 20 associates, including BJP leaders Govind Naik, Subraya Devadiga, Shrikant Naik, Deepak Naik, Suresh Konemane, and Ravi Naik. This marks the third case against Hegde within the last month and a half.

A senior police officer stated, "The complaint was lodged by the Gram Panchayat PDO, alleging the unauthorized placement of a name board honoring Savarkar and the hoisting of a saffron flag in a public area." The case has been registered under Sections 143, 147, 149, and 153A of the IPC for illegally hoisting the flag, inciting communal tensions, and attempting to offend religious sentiments.