Cops fail to recognise MLA at LH, get into a verbal duel

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: For Mudigere BJP MLA M.P. Kumaraswamy, the stay at Legislators Home (LH), adjacent to Vidhana Soudha, is proving to be a highly unpleasant one.

On Thursday night, he is alleged to have had a runin with the Hoysala patrol. The two cops were unaware that he was an MLA and and blocked his entry at LH late Thursday night. The issue was later sorted out with the intervention of an assistant commissioner of police.

When the MLA reached the LH premises in his chauffeur-driven car around 11 pm, he found that his designated parking area was blocked by a Hoysala patrol vehicle. The two policemen present there, identified as Chandrashekar and H.P. Narasimha Murthy, failed to recognise him.

Despite repeated honking and telling the police to move, the patrol vehicle stayed put for almost 45 minutes.

“It was late in the night and the Hoysala vehicle refused to give us space to park the car. Even after I introduced myself as MLA, the two policemen refused to believe me. When I took my phone to take their pictures, they used foul language against me. I lost my patience and argued with the policemen. Later they called their higher ups. Senior officers who came to the spot identified me and apologised on behalf of the policemen. Later the Hoysala was moved out,” the MLA told media.

He added that though he regretted losing his cool, it was not good on the part of the police to use such foul language against anybody. Making a MLA wait for 45 minutes is unheard of. I have, however, told the senior officers not to take any action against the two policemen, he said.

It may be recalled that the MLA was in news in 2016 for reportedly beating his wife on the LH premises. Kumaraswamy had assaulted his wife Savitha, an engineer, in front of the police at LH outpost. His wife, however, did file a complaint.

The bone of contention was an audio clip of the MLA’s conversation with a Hassan-based woman. After the clip surfaced, an upset Savitha began staying separately.