BENGALURU: A 50-year-old panchayat development officer (PDO) of Kutgal gram panchayat in Bengaluru South district has filed a police complaint against four persons of a family, including two women, accusing them of attempting to murder him and his staff while trying to clear a road encroachment at K Hosur near Ramanagara on Saturday.
According to the complaint, PDO KS Somashekar and his staff were clearing the encroachment with police protection when the accused reportedly tried to attack them with lethal weapons. Even the police personnel were reportedly manhandled by the accused. They also attempted to stop work by bringing a wheelchair-bound family member to the spot.
Somashekar alleged that P Varalakshmi, Dhanalakshmi, Padmaraje Gowda alias Ramesh and his son Dileep prevented him and his staff from clearing the encroachment.
Varalakshmi and Dhanalakshmi allegedly blocked the PDO's vehicle and did not allow it to proceed further. Soon, Gowda and Dileep joined them. Dileep allegedly threatened to kill the PDO with a lethal weapon. The accused also threatened to set fire to a bulldozer if the work to remove the encroachment continued. The accused then brought wheelchair-bound D Puttaswamaiah, father of Varalakshmi, to the spot and placed him before the bulldozer, according to a police officer.
A petition to clear the road encroachment was submitted to the PDO by some locals on September 7. Subsequently, the panchayat issued a notice to Gowda on September 17 to clear the encroachment. When Gowda refused to clear the encroachment, the PDO initiated action on October 3.