Congress goons go on rampage

DKS men go on the rampage
Deccan Herald

The episode of booking cases against the family members of Congress leader D K Shivakumar for alleged illegal stocking of iron ore worth crores of rupees took political overtones on Thursday.

Mr Shivakumar’s supporters went on the rampage at several places including Bangalore, damaging at least 10 state transport buses.

Protest rallies


Congress activists took out protest rallies and accused Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy of induging in “political vendetta.” The rallies turned violent in some places, especially in Kanakapura, with the protesters smashing window panes of buses.

In Kanakapura, the taluk headquarters of Mr Shivakumar’s assembly constituency Sathanur, Congress workers blocked roads, burned tyres and forced a bundh.

Protesters damaged 10 KSRTC buses; some of them also tried to set fire to two buses, but the attempt was thwarted by the police. A KSRTC driver was injured in the attack.

As many as 15 people were arrested in this connection and a case of damaging public property has been registered against them at the Kanakapura south police station. The situation returned to normalcy, by late afternoon. However, four platoons of the KSRP have been stationed in the town to prevent any untoward incident.

In Bangalore

In Bangalore, a few protesters pelted stones at three BMTC buses. Alleging that the JD(S)-Congress coalition government was engaged in ‘vindictive politics’, Congress workers gathered in hundreds at the BDA circle near Mr Kumaraswamy’s residence Anugraha. After their attempt to reach the CM’s residence was thwarted by the police, protesters staged a dharna, affecting vehicular movement for nearly half an hour.

Meanwhile workers had verbal altercations with the police. Later they decided to gather at the KPCC office.

On their way to the KPCC office, a few protesters pelted stones at three BMTC buses as well as the BDA

office. A bus conductor suffered minor injuries and window panes of a bus were damaged.