Three arrested for throwing egg on BJP MLA Munirathna in Bengaluru

NT Bureau

Bengaluru: Three people were arrested for throwing an egg at BJP MLA Munirathna during an event here on Wednesday, police said. The MLA was participating in an event to mark the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Nandini Layout in the city when miscreants threw an egg at him, a police officer said.

The MLA accused Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, his brother and former MP D K Suresh, and their confidantes of "orchestrating" the attack. "This was an attempt to kill me. Nearly 150 people were brought in to finish me. I would have been killed if my supporters and policemen were not present. D K Shivakumar, D K Suresh, Hanumantharayappa, and some others were involved," Munirathna alleged. Shivakumar, who was in Belagavi, rejected the allegation, saying he was busy preparing for the centenary celebrations of the 1924 Indian National Congress session, which was presided over by Mahatma Gandhi.

Suresh also dismissed the charge, claiming that Munirathna was "threatening" Congress workers in his area. He alleged that the MLA had staged the attack to divert public attention from the issue. Karnataka Home Minister Parameshwara confirmed the arrests. "Three people have been arrested. The investigation is ongoing to identify who they are and why they did it," he told reporters. BJP state president B Y Vijayendra condemned the attack. "Such an attack is not just an insult to Munirathna, but the entire state. Just because you (Congress) are in power, you are attacking people.

An attack on a public representative is highly condemnable," Vijayendra told reporters. Union Minister Pralhad Joshi and former Minister C T Ravi also condemned the incident. Munirathna, who is facing several police cases, including a rape case, was recently released on bail.