Has DCP's report found ACP Manjunath guilty?

BENGALURU: Five days after an inquiry was initiated to investigate the assault on a hotelier by J.C. Nagar ACP Manjunath Babu, DCP (North) Chethan Singh Rathor, who was the inquiry officer, submitted the inquiry report to Additional Police Commissioner (West) Malini Krishnamoorthy on Monday.

Though the findings of the report have still been kept a secret, it is learnt from sources that the report blames ACP for the attack. City Police Commissioner T. Suneel Kumar held a closed-door meeting at his office, where Mr Rathor informed him and Ms Krishnamoorthy about the findings of the inquiry.

Sources said that the police commissioner will forward the report to state police chief Neelamani Raju on Tuesday, who in turn will forward it to the home department. It is the home department which will take a decision on the disciplinary action to be initiated against the ACP if the report indicts him.

Meanwhile, the hotel owner, Rajeev Shetty, told Deccan Chronicle that it was unjust on the part of the ACP to beat him mercilessly, though he was not fault. “I have not done anything wrong. I believe justice will be done,” he said.

On the night of November 9, ACP Manjunath and a constable on night patrolling were caught in a CCTV camera caning the hotel owner Rajeev Shetty and other hotel staff mercilessly for keeping the hotel open till midnight. The CCTV footage then went viral on November 15, prompting the city police commissioner to order a departmental enquiry into the issue.