Karnataka Lokayukta Stabbed In Bengaluru Office, Attacker Arrested

Bengaluru:  Karnataka's most senior anti-corruption officer, its Lokayukta, has been hospitalised after he was stabbed repeatedly at his office in Bengaluru this afternoon. Justice P Vishwanatha Shetty, a former high court judge who was named the state's anti-corruption ombudsman last year, was attacked by a man who was at his office to complain about being suspended by his employers.

Tejas Sharma, a bus conductor, has been arrested. He took out a knife from his pocket and stabbed Justice Shetty two-three times before being restrained. The Lokayukta fell to the floor bleeding. The attack was filmed on security cameras.

"It seemed like it was an attempt to murder the Lokayukta. He had a big weapon in his hand. We are checking if there was a security lapse. Everything about his background will be investigated," said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

Justice Shetty, 74, is out of danger and being treated in a private hospital.
 The attacker had allegedly filed a complaint against a government officer. He went inside Justice Shetty's office on the ground floor of the multi-storey building in a crowd and was apparently not screened properly.

A leader of the state's ruling Congress said the Lokayukta prefers to be accessible to the people and there is hardly any security at his office.

"There was no bar for anybody. Anybody could access him with their grievances, there was no armed guard," said Brijesh Kalappa of the state's ruling Congress, describing the attacker as a "madman".

"There are multiple CCTV cameras...a metal detector and multiple people watching. How can we say there has been a security breach," Mr Kalappa added.

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Former Lokayukta Santosh Hegde, however, rejected the view. "There has definitely been a security breach," he said.

The incident has spurred strong political reactions at a time the state is preparing for elections later this year. "If there is no safety for the life of a Lokayukta, then what about the common man in Karnataka? Law and order has collapsed under the Congress government. Do we need a better example than this?" said BJP leader Arvind Limbavali.