BSY’s supporters assault TV journalist

TUMAKURU: Two BJP leaders--loyalists of state BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa-- allegedly attacked a private TV channel reporter at a hotel here on Saturday.

The accused, B S Nagesh alias Bavikatte Naganna, a corporator and his close aide Ravishankar, a former ZP member, attacked Vageesh soon after he finished an interview with district BJP president G B Jyothiganesh.

They tore off his clothes and manhandled the victim even as other party leaders, including youth wing president Hanumantharaju and  Rudresh among others, were trying to pacify them.

The victim had reportedly covered a news story on two stone crushers in Koratagere taluk owned by the accused sometime ago as there were flaws.

The accused got annoyed over this and eventually attacked the reporter, the victim stated in his complaint with the police.

The new extension police have registered a case and taken up investigation. Sources said the accused had also tried to attack another TV channel reporter six months ago as he too had covered their stone crusher unit’s issues but in vain. Instead, they allegedly lured him with some cash and trapped eventually getting him terminated from his organisation.

One Virupaksha, a BJP spokesperson, had helped the duo then, a source added. B S Nagesh is brother-in-law of former minister Sogadu Shivanna but their relationship strained as he had switched to former MP G S Basavaraju’s camp. Former minister Sogadu Shivanna, also the editor of Sogadu -a local Kannada daily- condemned the attack and said B S Nagesh acted like a ‘goonda’.

He demanded stringent action against them. The district unit of KUWJ led by R Kamaraju submitted a memorandum to SP Divya V Gopinath in this connection.