Bizmen, realtor assault BDA, police officials

Five individuals including two businessmen and a real estate dealer were booked for assaulting the police and BDA engineers while clearing an encroached site in HAL III Stage on May 14.

Businessmen, Srinivas Reddy (76) and Vishwanath (56), along with real estate dealer Santhosh (44), are among the accused. Two others are yet to be identified, the police said.

Based on a complaint filed by Mahadevegowda, executive engineer at BDA East division, the five were booked for attempt to murder, criminal assault on public servants obstructing their duty, criminal intimidation along with other sections.

According to the police, BDA officials along with the Special Task Force and vigilance sleuths armed with a BDA order went to clear an encroached site in New Thippasandra, near Hotel Krishna Bhavan.

A shed constructed on plot no. 1962 had to be cleared. As soon as the BDA officials started with the earth-mover, Srinivas Reddy and the other accused arrived and engaged
in heated arguments with them.

The scuffle escalated into physical assault after the men started hurling abuses at the officials and policemen including a police inspector. The accused manhandled the officials and the police, pelting stones.

Further, they vandalised the earthmover at work. The officials and the cops informed the jurisdictional Jeevan Bhima Nagar police who rushed to the spot. But by then the accused had fled the spot, after which the encroachment was cleared.

The police are on the lookout for the five accused.