Chaithra Kundapura previously served as an Indian news anchor and journalist for Kannada television news channels. She is well-known as a prominent Hindutva activist in Udupi district, Karnataka. Her involvement in the BJP Ticket Fraud Case in September 2023 garnered significant attention.
In 2024, Chaitra Kundapura gained popularity by participating in Bigg Boss Kannada Season 11, hosted by Baadshah Kiccha Sudeep. Her entry into the reality show gave fans a closer look at her personality, as she navigated the unique challenges and dynamics of the Bigg Boss house.
Chaithra Kundapura Bio/Wiki
Chaitra Kundapura Controversies
• Assaulting a Hindu Jagarna Vedike Activist: In 2018, Chaitra Kundapura and five of her associates were remanded to seven days of police custody by a Karnataka court. Their arrest was a result of a dispute in which Chaitra Kundapura and her associates physically assaulted Guruprasad Panja, who held the position of Sullia taluk secretary for the Hindu Jagarana Vedike. According to a sub-inspector, Chaitra and her group confronted Panja near Kashi Katte, outside his shop, following her visit to the Kukke Subramanya Mutt earlier that day. During a heated argument between these two Hindu leaders, one of Chaitra’s aides used a steel rod to attack Panja. Chaitra faced charges of assault under IPC 351. This incident occurred after more than two weeks of disputes on Facebook between Panja and Chaitra regarding the performance of a “Sarpa Samskara” ritual, a ceremony dedicated to worshipping the snake god. Chaitra advocated for the ritual to be conducted at the mutt, while Panja, who was aligned with the Kukke Subramanya Temple, preferred it to be held there. Vidyaprasannateertha Swami, the seer of the Mutt, had initiated a hunger strike in protest of this controversial matter. Even Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy reacted to the incident on October 14, urging the seer to end the hunger strike and seek a peaceful resolution to the dispute.
Apart from her activism, Chaithra has taken part in many public events and discussions, becoming a familiar face in Karnataka’s religious and cultural landscape. Her influence extends beyond activism, as she uses her platform to inspire young people to get involved in religious and cultural preservation efforts.
• Booked For Hate Speech: On 4 October 2021, the police registered a case against Chaitra Kundapura for delivering a hate speech during a Bajrang Dal and Durgavahini event in Surathkal. She was charged under Sections 153 A (inciting disharmony, enmity, or hatred among different groups) and 505 (2) (making statements that promote enmity, hatred, or ill-will) of the Indian Penal Code, following a complaint lodged by Abdul Khader from Iddya. In a speech that went viral on the internet, Kundapura was recorded issuing a warning to the Muslim community to stop ‘Love Jihad,’ or else Bajrang Dal members would engage in similar activities with Muslim women. Love Jihad, also known as Romeo Jihad, is an Islamophobic conspiracy theory promoted by right-wing Hindutva activists. This theory claims that Muslim men use methods like seduction, love, and marriage to ‘trap’ Hindu and Christian women for the purpose of converting them to Islam. The complainant alleged that Kundapura had made insulting statements against Muslims and Christians and disturbed communal harmony.
• Cash-for-MLA Ticket Scam: On 8 September 2023, a businessman named Govind Babu Pujari lodged a First Information Report (FIR) in Bengaluru, alleging that Kundapura and her associates had stolen Rs 5 crores from him by promising a BJP ticket to contest the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections for the Byndoor constituency. The FIR identified Kundapura as the primary accused, followed by Gagan Kadur, Abhinava Halasri Swamiji, Ramesh, Naik, Dhanraj, Srikanth, and Prasad Byandur. Gagan Kadur is a member of the BJP youth wing, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha and Abhinava Halasri Swamiji is a seer associated with Samsthana Mutt in Hospet. They were charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including Section 406 (criminal breach of trust), 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (cheating), 170 (personating a public servant), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 120B (criminal conspiracy). Kundapura had reportedly received Rs 3.5 crore, while the seer Abhinav Halasree had obtained ₹1.5 crore from Pujari. According to the complaint, Kundapura convinced Pujari that she could use her affiliations with RSS and BJP leaders to secure a party ticket for him. Allegedly, Kundapura informed Pujari that the funds were handed over to an RSS leader named Vishwanath, who would take the necessary steps to secure the party ticket for him. However, Pujari became suspicious when, in March, she informed him that Vishwanath had passed away. Upon cross-checking, Pujari discovered that he had been tricked as there was no one named Vishwanath among RSS leaders. He realised that the person whom Kundapura had introduced as Vishwanath during their meetings was in fact Ramesh, one of Kundapura’s accomplices. The case was transferred to the Central Crime Branch (CCB), which established three teams to locate the suspects. G M Abhinava Halaveerappajja, the seer of the Halashri Mutt in Vijayanagara, was on the run when the police caught him on 18 September while he was travelling on a train near Cuttack in Odisha. Reportedly, Chaitra became aware that the police were after her, so she turned off her mobile phone and asked one of her associates to obtain a new phone and a SIM card for her. Nevertheless, the police traced her down on 12 September after arresting Prasad Baindoor. The police persuaded Baindoor to call Chaitra and invite her to meet him in the parking lot of Sri Krishna Mutt, Udupi for the new mobile and sim card, where they arrested her. In the meantime, her associates Gagan Kadur, Ramesh, Dhanaraj, Srikant, and Prajwal were also arrested from various locations in Karnataka, while Abhinava Hala Swami absconded. On September 15, Chaitra experienced epileptic seizures during questioning by CCB officials, leading to her hospitalization at Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru. While being transported to the CCB office for questioning, Chaitra claimed that her arrest was part of a “conspiracy related to the pending bill issue of Indira canteen” during a media interaction. She also suggested that the arrest of Abhinava Hala Swami would reveal many prominent names. By 17 September, CCB officials had recovered over Rs 2 crore from Chaitra, which she had used to purchase a car, invest in fixed deposits, and acquire gold valuables.
• Cheating a BJP Member: In 2023, while in the custody of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) in Bengaluru, she faced another case in which she was accused of defrauding a BJP member of Rs 5 lakh. The complainant, Sudheena Pujari, hailed from the Udupi district and alleged that Kundapura tricked him for Rs 5 lakh by promising to assist him in establishing textile shops in Udupi and Kota back in 2015. Sudheena first met Kundapura in 2015 during a ‘Go Raksha Samavesha’ event, where Kundapura encouraged him to start a clothing store. In response, Sudheena raised the required funds through fishing and other means. Sudheena claimed that he handed over Rs 2 lakh in cash and transferred Rs 3 lakh to Kundapura’s bank account. According to Sudheena’s complaint, filed at the Kota police station in Udupi, the clothing store was registered under Kundapura’s name while Sudheena was away working in Andhra Pradesh. Sudheena alleged that when he requested Kundapura to return his money, she threatened him with the prospect of lodging a sexual harassment complaint against him. Consequently, the Kota police registered a case against her under sections 506 (related to criminal intimidation), 417 (pertaining to cheating), and 420 (involving cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Chaithra Kundapura Social Media Profiles
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