By Violet Pereira
Pics by Shafiq
Team Mangalorean

Mangalore : DK District Congress Committee staged a protest in front of the excise and lottery prohibition squad office here on May 29 demanding immediate suspension of police constables Rajesh and Pradeep for arresting Lokayya Poojary on false charges.

On May 22, some BJP activists had destroyed a banner of MLA Ramanath Rai which was put up by Lokayya Poojary in Bantwal area. A case was filed by Lokayya Poojary and the Bantwal police had taken action against the accused. 

In retaliation, the BJP workers are said to have organized a framed case against Lokayya Poojary and got him arrested. Condemning this action, Rai, who is also DKCC president, described Poojary as an honest person with transparent dealings.

Rai further said that on May 25 some miscreants entered his house and arrested him in a false case of selling illicit liquor.  Rajesh and Pradeep assaulted Poojary and his family members and arrested him by falsely implicating him.

The Congress members condemned the act of the police and demanded justice. They highlighted the increase in assault on innocent people by the excise enforcement  officers and alleged that the BJP activists were behind it.

They demanded immediate suspension of the police constables Pradeep and Rajesh and immediate release of Poojary and action against the guilty. The protesters also warned that the issue will be raised in the legislative assembly. A memorandum was also submitted to IGP Pratap Reddy and DSP excise and lottery squad Vishwanath Pandit by the protesters.

KPCC secretary Ivan D'Souza, MLA Abhayachandra Jain, former mayors Ashraf and Shashidhar Hegde, former ZP president Mamata Gatti, M S Mohammed, Bondala Jagannath Shetty, youth Congress president Mithun Rai and Sudarshan Jain were also present.