MYSURU: Sixty-five-year-old Rangadasaiah from Konanuru in Nanjangud taluk, who had come to attend the Janashirvada Yatre of Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Mysuru on March 25, is yet to return home. Rangadasaiah’s family, who ran from pillar to post in search of him for three weeks, have now sought police help to trace him.
Rangadasaiah was among 40 people from the village who were allegedly taken to the Maharaja’s College grounds in a private bus by local Congress leaders. The convention concluded by 8.30 pm and most of the 40 members, except Rangadasaiah, returned to the village by 9.30pm in the same bus, his son Kumara has stated in the complaint lodged at Kavalande police station.
Though a missing person’s complaint was lodged three days after the incident at Lakshmipuram police station in Mysuru, another complaint was lodged at Kavalande police station on April 1 as Konanuru comes under its jurisdiction. Kumara has also named Puttarangaiah, Lingaraju, Naga, and Sodaiah — the local Congress party leaders — in the complaint.
When Express tried to contact Kumara, his sister Shyla, who answered the call, said, “My father went to Rahul Gandhi’s event in Mysuru and has not returned home.” Shyla’s husband Raghuram blamed the Congress leaders from Konanuru.
Kumara ekes out his living as a daily-wager and had to forego his earnings for nearly a fortnight as he had to search for his father, said Raghuram. The family was offered `200, the amount fixed per person to attend Rahul’s convention. Raghuram said his father-in-law was enfeebled and penniless when he left home.
Rangadasaiah’s kin also met the personal assistant to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who called the jurisdictional police. They also requested Kavalande police to question the local Congress leaders in this regard.
A station house officer at Kavalande station told TNIE, “We have quizzed all those who had accompanied Rangadasaiah in the bus. They have claimed ignorance about seeing him in the convention due to the crowd at the venue.”