An argument over unannounced vehicle towing escalated into fisticuffs on Thursday with three vehicle users allegedly attacking an on-duty traffic policeman and towing staff.
Police and eyewitnesses gave different accounts of what happened.
An assistant sub-inspector from the Halasuru traffic police said the men attacked the driver of the towing vehicle and an attendant for towing their vehicles from a no-parking zone near Indiranagar metro station around 12.30 pm. The policeman was posted there to assist the towing staff.
The ASI said that he and the towing staff made announcements asking owners to remove the vehicles from the no-parking area. That was when the three got into an argument and obstructed him from performing his duty. The trio managed to escape after the incident, he added.
An officer from the Indiranagar police station said they had taken up a case of assault and obstruction of a police officer performing his duty. “We are verifying the CCTV footage of the surrounding places,” the officer said.
Members of the public, however, claimed that the police towed the vehicles without announcing to check if the owners were around.
The standard operating procedure demands that the police make an announcement before towing away the vehicle, they said.