Cops shielding Karnataka MLA, others accused of thrashing activist
- BJP MLA Raju Kage and 11 others remain at large even though an FIR has been filed.
- Villagers claim police officials are colluding with the legislator.
- Kage’s supporters and relatives attacked an activist 10 days ago over a social media post.
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Nearly 10 days after an activist associated with the Congress was beaten up by the relatives and supporters of Kagwad MLA Raju Kage (BJP), all the 12 accused in the case, including Kage, are absconding.
Police had registered a case against Kage after his daughter and brother and a group of supporters attacked activist Vivek Shetty on January 1 for allegedly making a post critical of Kage on Facebook. Residents of Ugarkhurd village allege that all the 12 accused are hiding in a farmhouse belonging to the MLA, which police know about but are not acting against him. They claimed that senior police officers were leaking information to the MLA, who may be preparing to seek anticipatory bail.
Also read: Karnataka MLA’s daughter breaks activist’s leg over Facebook post
The villagers criticised the police for their “double standards,” saying that the police immediately catch people for petty cases but had yet to act against an MLA accused under Section 307 (attempt to murder) of the IPC.
The news came to light on the afternoon on January 9 when the media spoke with Shetty. After the news broke, the police sent a team immediately to Meeraj Hospital to record Shetty’s statement. Villagers claimed that Kage was at his residence throughout the day but police had not attempted to arrest him.
