Bengaluru: Peenya sub-registrar assaults RTI activist

Bengaluru: Sub-registrar of Peenya has been accused of assaulting a Right to Information (RTI) activist, who is also an editor of a local newspaper, when the latter came to videograph the portion of the BDA land that has been allegedly encroached upon by the sub-registrar near his house in Nagarbhavi in Jnanabharathi police station limits on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the sub-registrar has also lodged an atrocity complaint against the RTI activist and eight other members for abusing a government servant by using his caste name and filthy language.

The two FIRs have been registered at the Jnanabharathi police station – one with the accused mentioned as sub-registrar of Peenya, T. Gopal Krishna and the complainant as Venugopal, the RTI activist and in the second FIR, the accused as Venugopal and the complainant as T. Gopal Krishna. “We have to discuss these two cases with our seniors to follow future course of actions in the way of investigations and arrests,” said a police officer.

According to the police, both Venugopal and T. Gopal Krishna knew each other very well, as Venugopal’s father was a close friend of T. Gopal Krishna and both had even stayed together in one house. “Later they parted their ways over some issues which are not clear at this point,” an investigating officer said.

On Thursday afternoon, at around 12 noon to 12:45 pm, Venugopal had come with eight other members to videograph the portion of the BDA land allegedly encroached by the sub-registrar near his house in Nagarbhavi 5th block 2nd Stage.

The irked sub-registrar came out of his house and objected to it. But when Venugopal and his team continued with their work, the sub-registrar lost his cool. He removed his shoe and threw at Venugopal and threw stones at him in order to chase him away.

The entire drama was recorded by Venugopal’s team and the footage was later handed over to local news channels. In the footage, T. Gopal Krishna, the sub-registrar was seen throwing shoe and stones on Venugopal after which the sub-registrar fell on the ground twice, losing control when attempting to assault the RTI activist.

Both the parties proceeded to the police station and registered cases against each other. While the RTI activist registered a case of assault, attempt to murder, criminal intimidation against the sub-registrar, the latter registered a case of atrocity and criminal intimidation against the RTI activist.