BJP worker assault case: Police file FIR against 9 including Cong corporator
Hubballi: An FIR was registered against nine people at the Keshwapur police station in Hubballi on Thursday in connection with the alleged stripping and assault of a BJP woman party worker. The incident came to light after a purported video surfaced on social media on Wednesday and raised concerns.
Union Minister for Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs Pralhad Joshi will address the media in Bengaluru later in the day regarding the issue. Hubballi is a major city within the Dharwad Lok Sabha seat represented by Joshi. The Karnataka BJP has already demanded the immediate suspension of officials who allegedly stripped and assaulted a BJP woman worker in Hubballi.
According to police, the case has been filed against Hubballi–Dharwad Municipal Corporation Congress member Suvarna Kalakuntla and seven others, with police booking them for serious charges, including attempt to murder, criminal intimidation and rioting.
The FIR was registered based on a complaint lodged by Mariadas, brother of the victim, BJP activist Sujatha Handi, regarding an incident that allegedly took place on January 2 at Chalukya Nagar in Hubballi.
The accused have been booked under Sections 109, 115(2), 118(1), 189(2), 191(2), 74, 190 and 351 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The police action followed after BJP workers staged a protest demanding action against Congress corporator Suvarna Kalakuntla. The protest was led by former BJP MLA Seema Masuti, Mayor Jyoti Patil and Deputy Mayor Santosh Chauhan.
Meanwhile, police sources said the incident is believed to have stemmed from an old personal rivalry between two families.
BJP activist Sujatha Handi and Congress corporator Suvarna Kalakuntla have reportedly been involved in repeated disputes over minor issues for the past few years, allegedly due to a contest for influence in the locality.
Sujatha Handi was earlier associated with Suvarna Kalakuntla but joined the BJP two years ago, after which the rivalry is said to have intensified.
What began as a personal dispute has now taken a political turn, culminating in the recent incident and the subsequent registration of the FIR, sources said.
It can be recalled that an alleged assault and stripping of a BJP woman worker by police occurred in Hubballi city in Karnataka, reportedly in connection with a dispute arising from a voter revision exercise.
A video of the incident surfaced on Wednesday, triggering shock and serious concern.The video allegedly shows male police personnel assaulting the woman and using vulgar expletives.
