Judicial inquiry sought into lathi charge

Bangalore, Jan 3 (UNI) Mr M P Renukacharya, MLA from Honnali in Davanagere district of Karnataka, today demanded a judicial inquiry into the police lathi charge on BJP workers yesterday and the suspension of the district Superintendent of Police.

Talking to reporters here, he accused the police of behaving like ''Congress agents'' and resorting to lathi charge on the party workers ''without any provocation'' in Honnali yesterday, injuring several people. He was ill treated by SP Sonia Narang at the police station, he claimed.

Police had resorted to lathi charge to quell BJP and Congress workers who indulged in stone pelting, accusing each other for poor quality of work on modernisation of Bhadra canal.

Mr Renukacharya said the police had clamped prohibitory orders in the town, fearing law and order problems during a public meeting organised by him to discuss misappropriation of funds during the tenure of former Legislator D G Shantagouda and had failed to disperse Congress workers, led by Mr Shantagouda.

He said he would submit a letter to the Chief Minister, seeking further action against the officials responsible for the caning.

UNI