Report by Michael Rodrigues
Team Mangalorean Udupi

Udupi : City municipal council member and Udupi Nagarika Samiti president Nithyananda Volakad has described the charge of threat to life levelled against him as baseless. The owner of a hotel had filed a complaint against Volakad saying that the latter had stopped him on the way on June 27 and demanded Rs 1 lakh, failing which he would not spare his life.

Shetty also stated in his complaint that Volakad had also said that he would see to it that Shetty would never get any permissions like one needed for multistoried building from the municipal council in future.

Volakad has said that the charge that he has blackmailed and threatened anyone for extortion is a lie and it is a concocted statement.  Nithyananda Volakad had sought and obtained information under the Right to Information Act regarding the irregularities committed in the construction of a multistoried building belonging to a religious house.

Volakad says that in retaliation for it, one Bhaskar Shetty, proprietor of a hotel, has lodged a complaint in the town police station on false and frivolous charges.  According to the charge, Volakad had stopped Bhasker Shetty on June 27 while he was alighting from his car near his hotel and demanded Rs lakh, otherwise he would  kill him and harass him in different manners. 

The complaint also states that he threatened Shetty that he would see to it that the latter would not get permission for the CMC for any multistoried construction.

Speaking to Mangalorean.com, Volakad said, "I have been under treatment in a hospital in Udupi for liver problems. Moreover I don't even know who this Bhasker Shetty is.  I have not raised any objections in the CMC to his getting any permission for any of his projects. All these charges have been framed in retaliation for my procuring information under Right to Information regarding the Shiroor Math head flouting municipal norms".