The surrender of Youth Congress leader Mohammed Nalapad Haris came with chaos and drama, turning violent at times, in front of the Cubbon Park Police Station on Monday.
In the melee, several presspersons were reportedly manhandled and their camera equipment damaged by those who turned out in significant numbers to “support” the leader.
Opposition workers, supporters of Mohammed Nalapad and his father, N.A. Haris, MLA, also turned up at the station as well as at the court where he was later produced.
The groups had gathered in anticipation of the surrender of the accused. Some supporters took objection to protesters calling Mohammed Nalapad a “hooligan who ruled Shantinagar”.
‘Stray incident’
The supporters said that the “stray incident” was “just an act of anger and that he was a good man”. The argument led to shoving between the groups as the police struggled to contain them.
Amidst the chaos, Mohammed Nalapad came in an autorickshaw with his friends and surrendered before the police, at around 10.30 a.m. With the crammed police station situated at the busy Kasturba Road, the presence of so many protesters and supporters stopped traffic for hours.
It was only well past 1 p.m. that vehicular movement achieved a semblance of normalcy.
B.S. Yeddyurappa, BJP State president, called the “attack” on the media “condemnable”.
“The Congress has created a fear psychosis among common people and they have tacit protection of the State government.” Reacting to the protests, Mr. Haris said the issue was being overly politicised.
“I have reprimanded my son and I asked him to surrender. He had switched off his phone last night after I scolded him.”
After his surrender, Mohammed Nalapad was taken to the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate around 4.30 p.m. where the judge remanded him in police custody for two days .