Case registered against MLA for attacking contractor in Karnataka

Tumakuru: Tilak Park police on Saturday booked Gubbi Congress MLA and KSRTC president SR Srinivas for attacking Congress leader and first class civil contractor Rayasandra Ravikumar. Sources said Srinivas was charged under sections 511, 506, 504, 143, 149, 323 and 363 of the IPC and the case has been referred to the People’s Representative Court in Bengaluru.

The accused MLA, along with 10 of his associates, forcibly entered the PWD office here on Thursday evening and allegedly beat up Ravikumar as he was protesting.
The victim had applied for a tender to implement works in mining areas under the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) fund in Gubbi taluk. Although he quoted a low price for implementing cement concrete roads among other works, the officials concerned allegedly ensured that an associate of the MLA got the tender.
After this, Ravikumar sat on a dharna alone, when the accused attacked him. The suspects also chased him on the road and he eventually took refuge in the police station before being admitted to the District General Hospital for treatment. According to eyewitnesses, the accused also snatched mobile phones of spectators, including some media persons and a policeman, who were shooting the incident.
Ravikumar, who contested the 2018 assembly elections on a Congress ticket, lost. At present he is a supporter of Congress Lok Sabha candidate SP Muddahanume Gowda.