Shakeel Ahmed, Congress corporator from Bharati Nagar (Ward No 91), has been arrested for allegedly stabbing a bar owner on Church Street on Tuesday night, when the latter was denied entry into the bar after it was closed for business.
Four more persons, who had accompanied Ahmed and reportedly abetted him in assaulting the bar owner, are also behind bars.
DCP (Crime), G Ramesh, told Deccan Herald that Shakeel Ahmed, accompanied by his friends — Fairoze, Salman, Ehsaan and Qadir — dropped by Lais Bar around 11.20 pm, when the bar’s shutters downed. Ahmed asked the watchman to open the bar and let him and his friends in. But the watchman asked Ahmed to go back. An incensed Ahmed took the watchman to task and demanded that he open the shutters, boasting that he was a corporator.
Bar owner Naeem, on hearing the commotion, came out to inquire. He tried to pacify Ahmed, reportedly in an inebriated condition. But the corporator was in no mood to listen and continued telling Naeem who he was. He also allegedly abused him in filthy language. In the melee, Ahmed pushed the bar employees and tried to barge in.
When Naeem tried to stop him, Ahmed attacked him with a knife. Naeem tried to dodge but was injured on his right hand, the police said. Ahmed and his friends ran away when they realised that the situation had gone out of control. Naeem was rushed to Mallya Hospital. He lodged a complaint with the Cubbon Park police.
Switched off
The police set out to trace the suspects and called Ahmed on his cellphone, but found it switched off. The corporator’s cellphone was switched off on Wednesday also, when Deccan Herald tried to get in touch with him. Ahmed was not available at his house too.
The policed traced him and his friends on Wednesday afternoon and cases under Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) were booked.
Ahmed was later produced before the jurisdictional Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) court.
Police said that Ahmed has a criminal record and is said to be involved in several cases in Shivajinagar and the surrounding areas.