Two men attacked the president of the Karnataka Beary Sahitya Academy, Rahim Uchil, at the academy office on Attavar Main Road on Thursday. Mr. Uchil's condition is said to be critical.
The incident occurred around 1 p.m. According to eyewitness accounts, two masked persons armed with sharp weapons came on a motorcycle to the academy's office. The masked men hit Mr. Uchila on his neck, hands and stomach with sharp weapons. While going out, they hit office assistant Satish Rai and then damaged the glass panels of the academy office and that of the adjoining shop. “It all happened in a span of one and a half minutes,” said the former president of the academy Abdul Rehman whose office is on the basement of the commercial complex.
According to Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh, Mr. Uchil has been hit on his head and hands. The injury on one of the hands was so bad that it had nearly severed, the hospital authorities said.
Mr. Uchil, a native of Talapady Uchil that borders Kerala, has been with the Bharatiya Janata Party for the past four years. He was the member of BJP's District Minority Cell and also a member of the State Wakf Board. He had taken over as the president of the academy on February 6. Mr. Uchil was mediating in disputes among his community members, it is said. He had planned to start an institution for protection of voters on March 18.
Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said four teams have been formed to track the persons involved in the attack. “We are looking into various angles, including those related to Mr. Uchil's personal dealings,” he said. The police have recovered the weapons used in the attack that had been abandoned near the residential complex (Casa Grande) where Mr. Uchil stays.
