BENGALURU: In a shocking case that has embarrassed the state Congress unit ahead of the assembly polls, Mohammed Nalapad Haris (25) , son of Shanthinagar Congress MLA N A Haris, and 10-15 of his cronies allegedly brutally assaulted an already injured 24-year-old MBA graduate at Farzi Cafe in UB City on Saturday night over a trivial issue.
Nalapad and his friends allegedly even barged into the emergency ward of Mallya Hospital where the victim was taken and roughed him and his elder brother up, threatening them not to file a police complaint.
Nalapad and several of his cronies involved in the alleged assault have gone absconding after TV channels aired the incident on Sunday while five were taken into custody. This also led to vehement protests by BJP and Aam Aadmi Party members in the city, demanding strict action against the culprits as per law.
Foreseeing a major dent in the party’s image, the Congress went into a damage-control mode and expelled Nalapad, general secretary of Bengaluru District Youth Congress, from the primary membership of the party for six years on disciplinary grounds. Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy ordered the police to nab Nalapad and his friends by Sunday evening.
A case has been filed at Cubbon Park police station, but BJP and AAP members are crying hoarse over “soft sections” of the Indian Penal Code being invoked against the accused with powerful connections.The issue unfolded at 10 pm after the victim Vidwath L and his friend Praveen Venkatachaliah, resident of Vasanthnagar, arrived at Farzi Cafe an hour earlier. Vidwath, son of industrialist D Lokanathan and resident of Dollars Colony, sat with his fractured leg stretched out for relief. This was objected to by Nalapad -- who was sitting with his friends at tables across the aisle -- who told him to fold his leg. When Vidwath told him he could not due to the fracture, Nalapad lost his cool and allegedly assaulted him brutally, joined in by his cronies.
Nalapad and his friends again attacked the badly injured Vidwath in the basement parking lot when his friend Praveen was rushing him to Mallya Hospital for treatment. They then followed Vidwath into Mallya Hospital’s emergency ward to rough him up and his elder brother Satwik L, threatening them against filing a police complaint.
Praveen filed the complaint with Cubbon Park police at 3 am. The police were trying to track the absconding Nalapad’s movement by tracing his mobile phone. But he could not be found on Sunday.