BANGALORE: Members of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike on Tuesday allegedly assaulted a BBMP Assistant Engineer and stopped him from removing their posters put up without permission at Kogilu Cross in Kempegowda ward. The official escaped with minor injuries.
“Our workers were removing unauthorised flex boards when some people started protesting. When I went there with our Assistant Executive Engineer, we were manhandled by the mob. We have filed a complaint at the Yelahanka police station,” said Pradeep, the BBMP official.
According to the police, the engineer has identified the activists who assaulted him. “Around 12.30 pm, Pradeep along with gangmen Narasimha, Nagesh and Murthy were removing flexes when some of the men whose pictures were in the poster approached them and began verbaly abusing them. They also assaulted Pradeep,” officials said.
The accused have been identified as Arvind, Ravikumar, Bharath, Sathish Gowda and K Patel.
The names were identified from the posters that the engineer was removing at the time. They are all local leaders of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike. A case has been filed under section 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 321 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty). Police are on the lookout for the miscreants.
“This was a routine drive which is carried out every week. The men identified themselves as members of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike,” said BBMP Commissioner Lakshminarayana.