BENGALURU: An assistant commissioner in Kacharakanahalli in Bengaluru has filed a case against 18 people, including BJP leader Padmanabha Reddy, for installing a Hanuman statue on a disputed land.
The complainant accused that officials were abused by Reddy and others when the latter tried to encroach some land to install the statue in HBR Layout. A couple was arrested and few others are absconding after a case was filed in Kadugondanahalli police station.
A senior police officer said an FIR has been filed based on a complaint by assistant commissioner M K Jagadish and a case has been filed against Muni Reddy, Gopal Reddy, Padmanabha Reddy, Jagannath Reddy, Subbaraju K, Muniraju K, Bharathi Srinivasulu, Shyamprasad, Babu Reddy, Jayanth S Patel, Nataraj, Anand, Muniraju Thanisandra, Nagawara Muniraj, Chandru KG, Jagadish Reddy, Radhakrishna, and few others who had a fight with him when he objected to the installation of the statue on Monday.
The movement of the statues saw road medians destroyed and traffic movement obstructed. Jagadish, along with other officials were at the spot and had discussions with the locals by sharing details of a property dispute case in the high court and said it was illegal to take over the case.
Meanwhile, some locals allegedly tried to attack him and some women abused him before forcing the officials to leave the spot. Jagadish went to KG Halli police station and filed a case.
It may be recalled that on Monday, multiple stretches of the main road on HBR Layout were damaged, medians were broken, electric poles uprooted and a storm water drain was blocked — just to accommodate the passage of a 750-tonne, 62-foot-tall Hanuman statue through the city. It was brought all the way from Kolar. However, the district administration said that the installation of the statue was in violation of a High Court order.
But their initial refusal to allow the statue to enter the plot made way to a political storm with the BJP claiming that the ruling Congress MLA KJ George was trying to delay its installation. The situation worsened as thousands of people gathered at the spot.