A day after Country Club security guards and staff attacked The Hindu photographer Nagara Gopal for taking pictures of a clash at Begumpet, the city police on Sunday arrested six persons, including the club supervisor.
The arrested persons have been identified as K. Bhanu Prakash (30) of B.K. Guda, B. Satyanarayana Srinivas Murthy (43) of Begumpet, Manoj Kumar Awasthi (25) of Old MLA Quarters, Hyderguda, V. Shankaraiah (38) of Prashanth Nagar, Langar Houz, P. Shankar (35) of Prakashnagar, Begumpet and Babu Ram Kumar (50) of Police Lines, Begumpet.
The police picked them up from the club on Saturday night. Six more persons involved in the attack are yet to be arrested, said Punjagutta Sub-Inspector U. Srinivas Reddy. He said the accused were charged with a case under Sections 147 (rioting), 382 (theft), 427 (mischief) and 324 (causing hurt) read with Section 34 of the IPC.
The police produced the arrested persons before the magistrate at Judges Quarters in West Marredpally who remanded them to 14 days' judicial custody. Prakash works as the club supervisor, while Murthy is the assistant security supervisor and the rest are employed as security guards.
The guards and staff dragged Mr. Gopal into the club while he was taking pictures of an attack unleashed by them on a group of locals opposing gambling activities on the club premises.
Ten persons, including Mr. Gopal, suffered injuries in the attack. They were treated at a nearby corporate hospital and two were admitted with serious injuries.
Based on a complaint lodged by an injured woman, Asma Ali, police also booked cases against the accused under Sections 147 (rioting), 509 (word or gesture to insult the modesty of a woman) and 324 (causing hurt) read with Section 34 of the IPC.
