Sunil Lohan
The Parappana Agrahara police have registered a case against a group of Uber drivers,including two identified leaders of a hindu outfit,for allegedly staging an unlawful protest,obstructing police personnel on duty and violating High Court guidelines on public demonstrations.
A case has been registered based on a complaint filed by Woman Police Sub Inspector,Keerthi Lakshmi of the Parappana Agrahara Police Station.
According to the complaint,the incident occurred on Monday afternoon near the Uber office at RR Tower, Hosur Service Road,within the station limits.
Officer said they received a call about a quarrel at the Uber office and rushed to the spot. Upon arrival,officers found hundreds of Uber drivers gathered outside the first floor of RR Tower,allegedly protesting without obtaining prior permission.
The protestors,said to be associated with the Bharath Transport Association Group and Hindu Jagruthi Sene, were holding placards and shouting slogans against the company.
The complainant stated that the protest was held in violation of a Karnataka High Court order which mandates prior permission for demonstrations and designates Freedom Park as the allowed protest zone.
When officers,including WPSI Keerthi Lakshmi and PSI Kalavathi K.R,tried to disperse the crowd and advised the protestors to obtain permission before staging any demonstration,the group allegedly turned aggressive.
The two identified leaders,Jayanna and Vinay Gowda, reportedly manhandled the officers,questioned their jurisdiction,and obstructed them from performing their official duties.The complainant said the officers were also verbally abused in public.
With the support of senior officers and additional personnel, the situation was brought under control. Police detained Jayanna,Vinay Gowda and several other Uber drivers,along with six vehicles used at the protest .
The accused have been identified as Jayanna, 52,Jagadeesh,35,Raju,35,Kiran Kulakarni, 38,Anand,33, Imran Pasha,36,and Malakappa,30.
The police also registered another case against the accused for ransacking an office at the time of the protest.The accused have been remanded to judicial custody.
