BELAGAVI: High drama unfolded during the last 24 hours following the arrest of MLC C T Ravi on charges of verbally abusing Women and Child Development Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar in the Legislative Council in Belagavi and until his release from police custody after the High Court granted him bail late on Friday evening.
Several groups of Hebbalkar’s supporters began searching for the whereabouts of Ravi as soon as the Hirebagewadi police took him to the police station near Suvarna Vidhana Soudha after his arrest on Thursday evening. Some of the miscreants attempted to attack him in the soudha before he was taken away by the police.
Belagavi Police Commissioner Iada Martin Marbaniang told TNIE that several people (supporters of Hebbalkar) were following Ravi in an attempt to attack him after the police arrested him. To ensure the safety of Ravi, he said the police had to shift him from one place to another late on Thursday night. Sources said he was taken to Hirebagewadi, Khanapur, Yaragatti, M K Hubli, Ramdurg, Lokapur and Dharwad before he was brought back to Belagavi.
Several BJP leaders, including Leader of Opposition in Legislative Assembly R Ashoka alleged that Ravi, who had sustained a head injury, was mentally and physically harassed by the police and was taken to forests and remote places until Friday morning.
A massive protest was staged by BJP workers and leaders at Chennamma Circle in protest against the arrest of Ravi on Friday afternoon, which led to massive traffic congestion on several roads surrounding the circle. Earlier, many Congress activists also staged a protest in support of Hebbalkar, demanding stringent action against Ravi for making a derogatory remark against her in the House.
Under the leadership of Congress leader Yuvaraj Kadam, a large procession of Congress workers will be taken out from Chennamma Circle to the DC’s office at 11 am on Saturday demanding the suspension of Ravi from the Legislative Council.
When the police were taking Ravi to produce him to a Belagavi court on Friday afternoon, a huge gathering of BJP leaders and workers thronged the court, which included Ashoka, BJP State President B Y Vijayendra, MLCs Sunil Kumar, Aravind Bellad and MLA Abhay Patil.
At the court premises, Congress workers also staged a protest urging the court against granting bail to Ravi soon after the latter was taken inside. Later, the Additional Civil Judge, 5th JMFC Court, shifted the case to the Special Court for Public Representatives, Bengaluru, and did not grant him bail. A team of Belagavi police took him to Bengaluru to produce him before the court there on Friday afternoon.