5 drunken men 'beat up' ASI for objecting to 'roadside revelry'

An assistant sub-inspector (ASI), posted at the Electronics City police station, and the driver of a police patrol vehicle were allegedly beaten up by a group of five drunken young men in the Electronics City on Wednesday night. 

The ASI, Nagaraj, 52, and the driver, Jagadish, were patrolling the streets when they spotted the five youth having drinks sitting on the bonnet of a car parked on the roadside near a liquor shop, My Dream Bar. 

When Nagaraj asked them to leave the place, they dismissed the suggestion, citing the extension of nightlife to 1 am. 

The policeman retorted that the extension had not been enforced as yet. Besides, the extension does not mean people can drink on the roadside in the dead of night and create nuisance, he asserted. 

One of the youth then started taking Nagaraj’s photographs with his mobile phone,  saying he “knew” senior police officers and would complain to them. 

The conversation turned into a verbal duel soon after, with the suspects allegedly punching Nagaraj. Jagadish, who was in the vehicle all the while, then rushed to his rescue but ended up getting some beatings as well. 

At this juncture, some passersby raised an alarm, forcing the suspects to run away. They later took Nagaraj and Jagadish to a hospital where they were treated as out-patients. The ASI had suffered injuries in the face, a police officer said, adding that the registration number of the car has been noted down and the suspects are being pursued. 

Cylinder explodes, 9 hurt

Nine people sustained burns in a Liquefied Petroleum 
Gas (LPG) cylinder explosion at one of the quarters built by the Karnataka Slum Development Board in HSR Layout on Wednesday night, police said. 
The gas cylinder at the house of Imtiaz Pasha was already leaking before someone in the family put a match to the stove to cook food. Pasha lives with family and relatives at the house.

The family usually makes food after 11 pm as then men, who drive autorickshaws, return home late. 

The entire colony was engulfed in the stench of smoke as the cylinder exploded. All the eight people present in the house at the time were hurt, besides Anitha, a neighbour who was sitting in the verandah after having dinner, the police said. 

The injured were taken to the Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital for treatment and a case has been registered, added the police. 

Auto driver returns bag

An autorickshaw driver, who returned a bag containing a laptop, cheque book and other documents left behind by a passenger, has won praise and an undisclosed prize from the City police. 

Vijendra, an autorickshaw driver from Kanakapura Road, had picked up Sunil T P, the passenger, at Konanakunte Cross, J P Nagar, around 2 pm on March 3. 

Sunil alighted at Ashoka Pillar near Jayanagar but forgot to collect his bag which contained a laptop, cheque book and some documents. It was only a while later did he realise his forgetfulness. 

But he had failed to note down the auto’s registration number. Still, he went ahead to file a complaint at the Siddapura police station. 

When Vijendra found the bag lying in his vehicle, he drove to the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP-South), H S Revanna, on Thursday and handed over the valuables. The police lauded him for his honesty and gave him a suitable prize.