Will you arrest a committed old man?

Will you arrest a committed old man?

No. No. No. But police did jail 69-year-old KP Abraham for demanding a pedestriAn subway in cox town

Sunitha Rao R. Bangalore



This citizen has a bucketful of woe. He's 69, an active senior citizen, and president of the Residents' Welfare Association of Bangalore East (REWABE). He has meticulously attended review meetings of BBMP during the four-year-long construction of the railway overbridge at Cox Town, which was inaugurated on Monday last. An involved citizen, you would say.
Now, here's the surprise. During the inaugural ceremony, however, KP Abraham found himself in police custody.
"We held up banners and placards. We only made it clear that we still need a pedestrian subway that will make it safe for children and old people to get across the railway track. We were very polite. We did nothing to disturb the peace, and were only seeking to draw the attention of the chief minister and the MLA concerned. For no fault of ours, we were detained, and taken into police custody," explained KP Abraham. This senior citizen spent four hours in police custody on Monday. "It is a gross violation of citizen's rights. I had got quite emotionally attached to the whole flyover project, and just at the time that it was inaugurated, I landed in police custody," Abraham said.
Members of REWABE had been quite involved with the progress of the work on the railway overbridge. From time to time, their suggestions and demands made the government take up work on service roads in the area. KP Abraham and Augustine Kaunds, both active members of the residents' association, were at the site of the inaugural function on Monday at 9.15 am, awaiting the arrival of the chief minister.
Schoolchildren throng the area in the morning and after school."The Corporation School, the Tamil Model School, Kannada Model School, Government Primary School, Jeevanahalli, St Aloysius College, St Germian School, St John's School, Francis Xavier School, PU College, Cox Town — all these institutions are located here. Students from Kammanahalli, Banaswadi, Jeevanahalli, HRBR Layout, Cooke Town and surrounding areas come to these schools. The children need a safe way to across the railway line, and the level crossing does not serve the purpose," said Abraham