Four from Burundi held for creating nuisance

Four citizens of Burundi (in Eastern Africa) have been arrested by the Ashokanagar police over an alleged drunken brawl with the police on Brigade Road in the early hours of Sunday.

Minawi Jean Michel, 21, Rumuri Qurin, 30, Butera Francis, 31 and Arnaua, 28, claimed to be students of BE (Computer Science) at T John College and residents of Basavanthapura in Bannerghatta, police said.

The foursome went to Cow Boy Club on Brigade Road and consumed liquor. They picked a quarrel with a few others who had come there over a petty issue at around 11 pm. The bouncers of the club escorted both the parties outside the club. However, the two groups continued to exchange heated words, police said.

DCP (Central) B R Ravikanthe Gowda told Deccan Herald that the police swung into action after they received information that a group of youths was troubling the public. “They obstructed our men when they went there to control the situation. Hence, we arrested them.”

‘Verifying claims’

The police are verifying their claims of being engineering students, Gowda said. The night patrol police spotted the two groups fighting and tried to calm them. The police intervention did not have any impact on the four youths, who allegedly roughed up the policemen and hurled abuses at them.

“It took three policemen to control one man as they overpowered the police. We summoned additional men and took the four into custody,” a constable told Deccan Herald.

The youth smashed liquor bottles against the wall and flung them in the air, trying to threaten the public. Some of the bystanders fled, fearing consequences. The men from Burundi tried to threaten the policemen in a similar way, but failed, police said.

They came to India in 2011 and settled at Basavanthapura. The police are verifying their documents to ascertain if some of them are illegally staying in India even after the expiry of their visa.

“We will inform the Burundian Embassy in New Delhi about the case,” Gowda said.
The four were taken to a hospital for a medical examination. The police booked them under Sections 341 (wrongful restraint) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharging his duty). The police produced them before the magistrate who remanded them in judicial custody.