There was tension for a few hours at Kotnoor (D) village on the outskirts of Kalaburagi on Wednesday morning after a group of people barged on Tuesday night into the house of an accused in a statue desecration case and assaulted his family members.
Accused Sangamesh had been arrested on the charge of desecrating the Ambedkar statue in the village on January 23 and was released on bail on Tuesday.
On Tuesday night, as soon as it came to be known that Sangamesh was released on bail, the assailant group attacked his family members even before he reached his house.
The group assaulted Sangamesh’s brother Anil Kumar, his wife Rajeshwari Anil Kumar, uncle Mahadevappa and mother Thangamma and also smashed a car and damaged motorcycles parked outside the house.
All four are undergoing medical treatment in a private hospital.
On Wednesday morning, the family members of Sangamesh and their supporters staged a protest in the village demanding stringent action against the assailant group for taking the law into its hands.
Kalaburagi MP Umesh Jadhav reached Kotnoor (D) village and joined the protest which went on for more than two hours.
Meanwhile, Dr. Jadhav complained of chest pain following a fracas with Police Commissioner R. Chetan and other police personnel. He was then admitted to the Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS). His condition is stable now.
Later, the agitated mob rushed towards the Ram Mandir Circle and staged a rasta roko for a couple of hours. It blocked traffic movement on Kalaburagi-Jewargi Road by setting tyres ablaze and demanding action against the assailant group.
The Police Commissioner said that five members have been taken into custody for interrogation. The agitators set fire to nearly a dozen tyres, even as the police and CISF personnel tried to foil their attempt.
Meanwhile, some Lingayat leaders from the Congress and the BJP rushed to the spot and tried to take the lead in the agitation.
Sangamesh’s wife Priyanka, who participated in the protest, said: “My husband was arrested and is facing trial in connection with desecration of the Ambedkar statue in Kotnoor (D) village. Let the law punish him if he is proven guilty.”
“But, is it right to attack him and take the law into one’s hands when he is released on bail. The assailant group assaulted our family members and the police have failed to protect us,” she added.
The protest was withdrawn by 2 p.m. only after the Police Commissioner assured the agitators of stringent action against the assailant group.
