Pics: Umesh Marpalli
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (HB)
Udupi, Jun 30: A day after a Rony D'Mello, a resident of Kadiyali ward was manhandled in the Udupi City Municipal Council (CMC) for trying to testify for Congress councillor Geeta Shet on an issue, BJP held a strong protest near Clock Tower here alleging that due to pressure from Udupi distrct in-charge minister Pramod Madhwaraj, the police are hesitant to file FIR and arrest the persons concerned.
Addressing the protest, former MLA Raghupati Bhat said, "This incident has brought shame to the entire district. The CMC has its own sanctity, and for the first time ever, a common citizen has been assaulted in the council hall. Minister Pramod Madhwaraj is protecting the assaulters. The police could have filed a suo motu case, but no FIR has been filed so far.
"A case should be filed under Sec 307 of the IPC. Rony D'Mello has explained the incident in detail to the police. He did not come all of a sudden or for no reason - he came because he was called by councillor Geeta Shet to testify on the Kadiyali road inauguration issue. But without even giving him opportunity to speak, the Congress councillors assaulted him. He did not do anything wrong by coming to the council. He could have sat in the public gallery, but he did not know that and approached the CMC president directly. Nevertheless, there is no rule that common citizens cannot enter the council. Anyone and everyone is allowed," Bhat said.
"We demand that the police file FIR in the case and arrest the persons involved in the assault immediately. If not, we will gherao the SP office," he warned.
Attacking Pramod Madhwaraj, Bhat said that in the case of Madhwaraj's company driver allegedly assaulting a cop, the aggrieved party was made to 'fall at the feet of the driver's wife'. "Even when the deputy commissioner and the assistant commissioner were attacked by illegal sand miners, only a select few were arrested and not all. The entire police department is under his contro. It is because of his pressure that police are not filing an FIR even in this case," he alleged.
"The councillors even misbehaved with Geetha Shet. There is absolutely no law and order in Udupi. The entire system is in a mess. Councillors R K Ramesh Poojary, Ramesh Kanchan, Sukesh, and Sathish Puthran should be arrested and booked under 307 immediately," he demanded.
BJP district president Mattaru Ratnakar Hegde said, "This is a blow to democracy. They have misbehaved with a councillor. The Congress councillors have eaten enough and more money under CMC commissioner Manjunathaya and grown fat. The CMC commissioner should have called the persons concerned to his chamber and spoke calmly. Unfortunately, goondas who should be in jail are in the council. Does Udupi need such councillors?
"Pramod Madhwaraj has given diplomatic answers when asked about the incident. He is unfit to be a minister. In the next elections people will teach him a good lesson," he said, demanding that the four persons mentioned by Raghupati Bhat be chargesheeted.
BJP minority cell member Allwyn said, "This kind of goondaism is an insult to democracy. They (Congress) want votes of minorities but they cannot protect them. Congress should be wiped out in the next elections."
Lalaji Mendon, Geeta Shet, Naveen Kuthyar, Kulyadi Suresh Nayak, Katpady Shankar Poojary, Udaykumar Shetty, Geethanjali Suvarna, Vasanti Shetty and others were present.