Little-known politician's cars pelted with stones

Two cars belonging to the chief of an obscure political party were pelted with stones in Rajagopalnagar, North Bengaluru, on Saturday night.

Police said they were taking the matter "very seriously" as it was the second attack on a political party worker in a week.

On January 12, the scooter of a Congress functionary in Shettihalli near Bagalagunte was gutted in an arson attack. The windows and the door of his house also suffered extensive damage.

N Shashikumar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North), visited the spot in Rajagopalanagar and said they had clues about the stone-throwers and would track them down soon.

Another senior police officer said the cars belonged to Srinivas, the president of the Karnataka Bahujan Kranti Dala. Miscreants showed up near his house in Kasturinagar around 1.30 am and threw stones at the two cars parked outside. They also damaged the cars with machetes. The attackers had arrived in a car, the officer said, quoting eyewitnesses. "We are reviewing the CCTV footage," he added.

The officer suspected political rivalry behind the attack. Srinivas faced threats from Suneel and Siddu, two men with long criminal records, who were arrested in 2017 for throwing stones at him after he refused to pay them. "We're looking at all angles," the officer added.