While the world was asleep last night, the Bengaluru police arrested one of their own to curb the mass protest the police association is planning on June 4. Shashidhar, the president of police association was arrested at around 12.30 am last night.
The state’s police personnel had decided to go on June 4. P Harishekharan, additional commissioner of police, has said, "We have arrested him under allegations of conspiracy and for fighting with the government. He is under judicial custody. We will produce him before the judge".
Shashidhar’s family doesn’t know where he has been taken. His son Venugopal posted a Facebook message last night, immediately after his father’s arrest.
Two days ago, Shashidhar had sent a sari and some bangles to the DG in Bengaluru and asked him to cooperate with the police association. Arresting him at midnight is effectively the DG’s way of paying Shashidhar back for the insult.
Shashidhar is a resident of Yelahanka New Town. His wife said that about 30 policemen have arrived at his house past midnight, jumped into the compound and arrested her husband.
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When Shashidhar, who was inside the house, came to know that police have come, without any prior notice or official warrant, he voluntarily surrendered and went with them.
Venugopal, Shashidhar’s son, tried to take photos and videos of the ‘arrest’ from his mobile phone. The police forcibly stopped him and took his phone away with them. Apart from that, they searched the house and took with them his computer, laptops, mobile phones and other documents related to the protest.
“My husband was working in his room. The rest of us were asleep. We woke up when we heard our dog barking loudly. We peeped out of the window and found policemen surrounding our house.
“Within a few seconds, we saw all the policemen jumping inside the compound. They were repeatedly pressing calling bell. When we opened the door, they took my husband along with them and went. We asked them, ‘Where are you taking him?’ but they didn’t reply, ” narrated Shashidhar’s wife, Poornima.
Similar arrests have been made in other parts of the state. In Hubli-Dharwad, the police have arrested Basavaraj Koravar, who was leading the protest there, in the same dramatic way they arrested Shashidhar. About 20 policemen entered into his house at midnight and arrested him.
