Ruling Congress MLA N A Haris' son Mohammed Nalapad Haris, who allegedly assaulted a man at an upscale pub-cum-restaurant in Bengaluru on 17 February and surrendered before police on 19 February amid high drama, has been booked for attempt to murder, PTI reported.
"Police have booked a case against Nalapad under Section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code," DCP (Central) Chandragupta told PTI.
Police also booked him under IPC Sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 506 (criminal intimidation), 143 and 144 (unlawful assembly), 146 and 147 (rioting), 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons), and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace).
An Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) court in Bengaluru sent Nalapad Harris and six of his associates to two days of police custody on 19 February.
They were produced before the 8th ACMM court on the afternoon of 19 February, following a medical test. Chandragupta, Deputy Commissioner of Police, central division, said the next hearing of the case will be on 21 February.
MLA Harris Issues Apology
Hours after his son surrendered before the police, Congress MLA NA Harris issued a statement, apologising to the family of the victim. “I, NA Harris would like to apologise to Vidvat, his parents (again) and the citizens of Bangalore,” read his statement.
Stating what happened on Saturday night is extremely unfortunate, he said that he ensured his son surrendered before the police.
This should not have happened… I again strongly emphasise that the law is the same for all of us and we will adhere to the investigation process and give our 100 percent cooperation.NA Harris, Congress MLA
Nalapad Surrenders Before Police
On 19 February, a day after getting expelled from the party, Nalapad surrendered to the Cubbon Park police.
P Usman, (Nalapad’s lawyer) alleged that BJP MP PC Mohan’s son was also seen in the CCTV footage but no action has been taken against him yet.
On 19 February afternoon, BJP members were seen protesting outside the police station against Mohammed.
BJP workers outside the police station.
(Photo: ANI)
Nalapad has been suspended from the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee for a period of six years after the incident.
KPCC President, Dr G Parameshwara, expelled Nalapad from the post of general secretary of the Congress’ youth wing in Bengaluru.
The expulsion came after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and several other Congress leaders condemned the act and stated that stringent action must be taken against anyone who violates the law.
According to the victim’s friend Praveen, Nalapad took offense to Vidvat stretching his leg out in the cafe, despite knowing that he was injured and was in a cast.
Vidvat told Nalapad that his leg was injured, but Nalapad got angry and told Vidvat to apologise for stretching out his leg. When Vidvat refused to do so, he got angry and then both of them had a verbal argument.Praveen told The News Minute
The argument, however, soon escalated, with Praveen alleging that Nalapad called 15-20 of his henchmen to rough up Vidvat.
They just came in and said that he was an MLA’s son and all of them began beating Vidvat brutally. I tried to get the help from the management of Farzi Cafe, but they too did not help. They punched his face, hit him on the chest and also on his head. They also broke his nose. They attacked him with bottles until Vidvat fell to the floor unconscious.Praveen to The News Minute
Praveen rushed Vidvat to the nearby Mallya Hospital, where he is currently undergoing treatment in the ICU. He alleges that Nalapad and his henchmen arrived at the hospital the same night to threaten Vidvat against filing a police complaint. A video of Vidvat in the hospital, showing brutal injuries has also surfaced.
The crime has been slammed by politicians and citizens alike, with KPCC President Gunda Rao and renowned historian Ramachandra Guha taking to Twitter to express their condemnation.
(With inputs from The News Minute and PTI)
(The Quint, in association with BitGiving, has launched a crowdfunding campaign for an 8-month-old who was raped in Delhi on 28 January 2018. The baby girl, who we will refer to as 'Chhutki', was allegedly raped by her 28-year-old cousin when her parents were away. She has been discharged from AIIMS hospital after undergoing three surgeries, but needs more medical treatment in order to heal completely. Her parents hail from a low-income group and have stopped going to work so that they can take care of the baby. You can help cover Chhutki's medical expenses and secure her future. Every little bit counts. Click here to donate.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)