Three arrested for attacking Swaraj Abhiyan activist for distributing groceries in Bengaluru

The Amruthahalli police on Monday arrested three men for attacking members of Swaraj Abhiyan and threatening them for distributing food and groceries to labourers staying in Dasarahalli on Saturday and Sunday.

Bheemashankar S Guleed DCP (north-east) told DH that the three accused have been arrested for assaulting two youths near Government School in Dasarahalli on Sunday evening when they were going to distribute grains to workers living in jeopardies.

Guleed said the attackers have been booked under IPC section 506 (criminal intimidation), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 147 (Punishment for rioting), 143 ( unlawful assembly), 144 (joining unlawful assembly armed with deadly weapon), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons) and efforts are on to nab others.

A-23-year-old injured Syed Tabrez, a resident of Gangamma Temple Road in Amruthahalli stated in his complaint that, from Swaraj Abhiyan, an NGO, they were distributing groceries to labourers living in various places in the city from past one week. On Sunday around 6.30 pm, he along with his mother and three of his friends Uday Kiran, Kiran and Santhosh were going to distribute groceries to workers staying near a Government School in Hebbal. Six people came in two wheelers and told them not to distribute groceries. He questioned them and soon they started attacking him and his friend Kiran with a cricket bat and abused them and threatened them to leave the place. As he suffered a head injury and was bleeding, other members rushed him to Bowring hospital.

After receiving treatment, he came to Amruthahalli police station and filed a complaint against the attackers.

Syed later said that On Saturday too, these accused stopped them from distributing groceries saying that because of them coronavirus is being spread in the city and the nation. He visited the police station on Saturday, where the cops encouraged them to continue with the work of distributing food. The police also said that cops will be sent along with them in distributing groceries. But since police were engaged in other duties on Sunday, they were attacked on the way to distribute groceries.

Mumtaz General secretary of Swaraj Abhiyan said that they had received groceries from various people and are distributing to the needy and such attacks are condemned and she sought stringent action against attackers.

Police recorded statements from Syed and Kiran at Bowring Hospital on Saturday night.