MANGALURU: Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police Vikram Amathe has ordered an internal inquiry into the alleged police brutality on those accused of putting a garland of footwear on the poster of BJP state president and MP Nalin Kumar Kateel and former chief minister DV Sadananda Gowda.
On Wednesday, pictures of the bruised and blood-clotted body parts said to be of the accused were widely circulated on social media invoking strong reactions from the public. Some of the wounds had deep cuts suggesting that they were beaten up with sharp weapons.
SP Vikram Amathe did not elaborate on the alleged police high-handedness but only said that an internal inquiry has been ordered. Puttur Town police on Monday and Tuesday had arrested a total of 9 persons - Abhi alias Avinash, Shivaram, Chaitresh, Ishwar, Nishanth, Deekshith, Guruprasad, Vishwanath and Madhava, all residents of Narimogru in Puttur in connection with the case. The poster with the footwear garland was found near Puttur bus stand and the perpetrators had blamed Kateel and Gowda for the BJP’s defeat in the recent Assembly polls.
The banner was later removed by the local administration. According to sources, all the accused are supporters of the BJP but had campaigned for Arunkumar Puthila, the BJP rebel candidate who contested unsuccessfully.