Congress legislator from Kampli, J.N. Ganesh, who was arrested for allegedly assaulting his party colleague and Hosapete MLA Anand Singh in a midnight brawl at a resort in Bidadi, has been remanded to judicial custody till March 6.
Ganesh had been absconding for a month after the incident on January 19 before getting arrested on Wednesday evening by the Ramanagara police from Gujarat.
The midnight brawl at Eagleton resort had embarrassed the Congress party, which had herded all its legislators into the hotel allegedly to prevent horsetrading by the BJP.
The party, which was busy firefighting an internal rebellion with a few party MLAs lead by Gokak MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi going into a huddle in a Mumbai hotel, had been jolted by the brawl that landed one of its legislators in the hospital and sent another absconding.
While senior Congress leaders tried to strike a compromise between the two legislators to evade a police case, Singh's family went ahead with the case against Ganesh. He was booked under IPC sections 307 (attempt to murder), 323 and 324 (voluntarily causing hurt with dangerous weapons), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation).
In the FIR lodged at the Bidadi police station on January 21, Anand Singh alleged that Ganesh picked up a quarrel when he was walking towards his room after dinner on January 19 night.
"Ganesh accused me of not extending financial aid to him during the elections. He used expletives and assaulted me by throwing a flower (earthen) pot. He grabbed me and banged my head against the wall," said Singh in the complaint. The report also states that after Singh collapsed, Ganesh crushed his stomach beneath his feet, and punched him with his fist, screaming, "Die, die", in a frenzy. He also threatened Singh that he would kill his nephew (Sandeep). Singh sustained a black eye and severe pain in his body.
Strangely, the police showed no urgency in arresting the accused, and even the opposition BJP chose not to pursue the case though the lawmaker kept evading arrest for nearly a month.
The police said they had formed teams and that they were looking for him in Ballari, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Andaman.
Interestingly, it was a day after Ramesh Jarkiholi (who attended the budget session after the party issued a second whip) met Ganesh's family in Ballari that the police were able to locate him in Gujarat. Ganesh also withdrew his bail application submitted to the special court. Sources in the party said that Ganesh agreed to surrender after the party assured him that his interest would be protected.
Singh, who had sustained a hairline fracture in his right cheek bone and one in the ribs, is now recuperating.
"We have collected circumstantial evidence from the resort. If need be, the MLAs and a minister who were present during the assault will be summoned for questioning," said Ramanagara SP B. Ramesh.
