The second day of the lawyers’ protest for the establishment of a Karnataka Administrative Tribunal (KAT) bench in Belagavi took an ugly turn after the protesters ransacked the deputy commissioner’s office on Tuesday.
Irked by the “dilatory tactics” adopted by the State government in fulfilling their demand, the lawyers tried to picket the deputy commissioner’s office. When the police tried to prevent them from entering the main gate of the DC office, the lawyers jumped the compound wall and tried to barge into the DC’s office.
However, the police managed to stop them from entering the premises. The Deputy Commissioner, Praveen Kumar, was not present at the time.
The lawyers, who reportedly went on the rampage, broke the name plate in front of the DC’s chamber, even as the police watched helplessly. The lawyers outnumbered the police personnel.
Some protesters urged fellow lawyers to maintain decorum, but their appeal went unheeded. It was total chaos until the lawyers were ushered back to the old court premises by their leaders. In the melee, the DC office staff escaped through the backdoor.
Kumar and Deputy Commissioner of Police Anupam Agarwal rushed to the DC office and met a few senior advocates. Principal District and Sessions Judge Krishna Bhat was also present.
Speaking to mediapersons, Kumar said, “The advocates have damaged the name plate in front of the DC chamber.
The office gate has been broken and some pots damaged.” Agarwal said legal action would be initiated against the advocates after holding an inquiry into the incident.