The Belagavi city police have registered a case against Channaraj Hattiholi, Congress MLC and four others, on charges of assaulting a BJP worker over an old dispute.
The first information report registered at the APMC police station names Mr. Hattiholi, younger brother of Laxmi Hebbalkar, Minister for Women and Child Welfare, his followers Sujit Jadhav and M. Saddam and two security personnel attached to him.
The accused face charges under sections 143, 147 , 148, 323, 324, 504, 506, and some provisions of the Prevention of Atrocities against SC/ST Communities Act.
Prithvi Singh, 55, BJP leader and member of BJP SC morcha, claimed on Monday that he suffered a fatal assault by Mr. Hattiholi’s henchmen. In a complaint to the police on Tuesday, the victim’s son Jasveer Singh said that Sujit Jadhav attacked him while Mr. Hattiholi and others supported the offence.
“When my father was in the Congress, he was on very good terms with Ms. Hebbalkar and Mr. Hattiholi. They took our building on lease for the Assembly 2018 campaign. But they violated the lease conditions. When we asked them about it, they harassed us. In the meantime, my father joined the BJP and was elected to the BJP SC morcha. Mr. Hattiholi abused our caste and gave us death threats. He also supported the offence when his supporter Sujit Jadhav stabbed my father with a knife,” the complainant said.
Meanwhile, Ramesh Jarkiholi, former Minister and BJP leader visited Prithvi Singh in the hospital. He told journalists that he would comment on it only after a police investigation.
Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, accused Ms. Hebbalkar and Mr. Hattiholi of running a lawless administration in Belagavi.
