Fugitive Kampli MLA, J.N. Ganesh, who was on the run since January 20 after allegedly assaulting his fellow legislator Anand Singh at a resort in Bidadi, was nabbed by the police near Somnath temple in Gujarat on Wednesday.
Ganesh was picked up by a special team of the Bidadi police at a hotel when he arrived there for lunch. The Bidadi police had registered an FIR against Mr. Ganesh on January 21, a day after the assault, and booked him for attempt to murder. He had since been on the run. The Congress had suspended him after the incident.
Home Minister M.B. Patil, confirming that Mr. Ganesh has been arrested in Somnath, Gujarat, on Wednesday, said, “He will be brought to Bengaluru late night today [Wednesday] and will be produced before a Ramanagaram court on Thursday.”
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Ganesh had been “missing” ever since the Bidadi police had registered an FIR against him on January 21, a day after he assaulted Anand Singh, Congress MLA, at Eagleton resort. All the Congress MLAs had been herded to the resort in an attempt to thwart the alleged efforts of the BJP to lure them with inducements of money and ministry. The two legislators had got into an altercation there on January 20, resulting in Mr. Singh suffering injuries and getting hospitalised. Following the incident, Mr. Ganesh was booked under IPC Sections 307 (attempt to murder) 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and Section 506 (criminal intimidation).
He had been on the run since, changing locations frequently, while the police were tracking him based on call records before pinning him down on Wednesday. Police sources said the MLA’s phone call to his wife helped them track his location in Gujarat. He was produced before a local court in Gujarat before being escorted back.
B. Dayanand, Inspector-General of Police (Central Range), said that Mr. Ganesh would be brought to Bidadi and taken into custody for investigations after producing him before court.
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Mr. Singh, in his complaint, had stated that Mr. Ganesh was angry with him for not helping him financially during the Assembly elections. “He abused me using filthy language and assaulted me with a wooden log and flowerpot, threatening to kill me. The other MLAs rushed to my help and rescued me, otherwise he would have killed me,” Mr. Singh had stated in his complaint. The Ramanagaram district police had formed three special teams to track him down. Mr. Ganesh had given the police the slip thrice before they closed in on him, said sources.
Earlier, the police had information about the MLA's 'hideout' in Mumbai, but he somehow managed to escape.Not getting timely cooperation from the local police was one of the factors which helped Ganesh escape, said sources.