Drunk police constable kicks BMRCL staffer, is arrested

Veeranna, a head constable attached to Airport traffic police station is the accused He reportedly ignored warnings of the BMRCL staff and tried to gain entry to the station BMRCL MD and police commissioner deny the incident but Vijayanagar police have lodged a complaint

Even as the ugly fight between Karnataka State Industrial Security Force (KSISF) personnel and Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) staff that led to the suspension of Metro service is still green in the minds of people, yet another incident of BMRCL staff assaulted by a police constable has been reported.

An intoxicated head constable allegedly kicked Gajanand Bhimappa Kilari, a BMRCL staff, when the latter stopped him from entering the station. Injured, Kilari is recuperating at a hospital in Vijayanagar, reports Prajavani. A complaint has been lodged against the accused Veeranna, who is attached to the Airport traffic police station.

Drunk Veeranna reached Metro station on Friday at 8.40 pm. But the security personnel at the BMRCL did not allow him to enter. But Veeranna managed to walk near the ticket counter ignoring the warnings by the Metro staff. As the commotion ensued, other BMRCL staff rushed to the spot and asked Veeranna to obey the rules. Apparently irritated at this, Veeranna reportedly kicked Gajanand, who fell to the ground with severe injuries. "We called up Vijayanagar police immediately. Police after conducting tests, confirmed that Veeranna was drunk. We did not know he was a police constable, till the police arrested him," reports Prajavani. 

It is alleged that the police personnel were not keen to lodge a complaint against Veeranna, initially. Even BMRCL senior officers too did not come to the help of the ground staff, it is reported.

"Injured Kilari has been deputed by a private security agency on contract basis to BMRCL. But the indifferent attitude of the BMRCL officials towards the contract employees is unfair," reports Prajavani quoting a Metro staffer.

Meanwhile, the BMRCL MD Pradeep Singh Kharola denied any such incident. "No Metro personnel were attacked. Nothing has come to my notice, so far" reports Prajavani quoting Kharola. Even City Police Commissioner Praveen Sood too downplayed the incident. However, Vijayanagar police have lodged a complaint against Veeranna and are investigating.