'MLA's son would've killed my brother but for Guru Rajkumar'

Guru Rajkumar, the grandson of matinee idol Rajkumar, came as a godsend for Vidwath L as he lay half-dead in Mallya Hospital after being brutally assaulted by Congress legislator N A Haris's son Mohammed Nalapad at a city pub  on the night of February 17.  

The victim's brother, Sathwik L, is certain the assailants would have killed Vidwath had Guru not come to the hospital. Speaking to DH,  Sathwik said  they had beaten his brother "mercilessly and barbarically".  "Nalapad and his associates left only after seeing Guru in the hospital,'' he said.  Guru is the youngest son of Kannada film producer Raghavendra Rajkumar.

Sathwik rushed to the hospital soon after learning about the incident. He said Guru wasn't present  at Farzi Cafe during the incident but rushed to the hospital. "There were seven of us  at the hospital  - I, Vidwath, Guru and four friends of my brother when Nalapad and his associates barged into to the emergency room and started attacking me and my brother," he said.   Recalling the incident,  Sathwik said Vidwath had put his fractured  leg on  a chair when Nalapad, also dining at the restaurant,  asked him to move aside so that he could pass. Vidwath replied that his leg was fractured and that he cannot move it. Nalapad retorted: "Hey, you know who am I? I am NA Haris's son" and started attacking him.

Praveen Venkatachalaiah, a friend of Vidwath's who filed a police complaint against Nalapad and his associates at the Cubbon Park police station, said: "They beat Vidwath once and sent him downstairs. But Nalapad sent his men to bring Vidwath upstairs and asked him to fall at his feet. Vidwath replied that he hadn't done anything wrong. They got angry and  started hitting him, saying why you wouldn't do it."

Nalapad and his friends beat Vidwath with alcohol bottles, chairs and whatever they could lay their hands on.

They stomped on him even when he passed out, Sathwik said. "Nine of his ribs were broken and his nasal bones were fractured. He can't breathe properly and is on a liquid diet. They beat  a person who already had a fractured leg," he added.  

Sathwik said the assailants didn't stop even when his brother was being taken to the hospital.

Accompanied by miscreants, they  then came to the  hospital and threatened to kill him if he went to the police.