Owners of city’s oldest grocery shop arrested

Owners of the city’s oldest grocery store, Sivananda General Stores, have been arrested for obstructing public servants from discharging their duties during a plastic bag seizure on Tuesday.

Based on a complaint from BBMP medical officer V Shivegowda, the High Grounds police arrested Suresh, Mahesh and Kavitha, the owners of the store, for abusing and threatening the officials.

In his police complaint, Shivegowda said he received a tip-off that Sivananda store was continuing to sell plastic carry bags despite the ban.

Around Tuesday noon, when Shivegowda and his team checked the store, the owners accused them of trespassing.

“How can you walk into this store as if it was your grandfather’s,” one of them asked Shivegowda who responded by saying he was a government servant.

Suresh, Mahesh and Kavitha allegedly abused and threatened them. Shivegowda reported the incident to the police, who offered protection to the team to continue the inspection and seize plastic carry bags.

The BBMP official later filed a complaint with the High Grounds police, which booked the store owners under IPC sections 353 - obstructing public servants from discharging duties, and criminal intimidation.

They arrested the trio, produced them before a magistrate who remanded them to judicial custody.