‘Beaten with bats, rods, beer bottles and sticks’: Civic worker assaulted over banner removal in Karnataka; 7 arrested | Hubballi News

HAVERI: Raju Doddamani, a municipal worker, was violently assaulted inside a bar on Saturday evening. The attack, led by transgender person Akshata KC and Shantu Koravar, left Raju with severe injuries. The assailants used cricket bats during the attack. Due to the severity of his injuries, Raju was shifted to KIMS Hospital in Hubballi. Following the incident, Haveri Town Police arrested seven people after registering an FIR.The police have taken Shantappa Koravar, Arjun Koravar, Pratham, Pakiresh Koravar, Mukesh Patel, Prajwal, and Ganesh to their custody. The case is currently being investigated at the Haveri Town Police Station.According to police reports, the conflict originated from the removal of an unauthorised birthday banner following instructions from the City Municipal Council Haveri commissioner on June 7. The attackers specifically chose municipal workers as their targets. The situation escalated when a group of transgenders and troublemakers attacked Raju and another civic worker Feerappa Shirabadagi. The disturbance increased when transgender Akshata KC entered the City Municipal Council premises partially undressed. The group also issued death threats to civic workers.Feerappa subsequently filed a complaint against the group for assault and hindering public work. In response, the primary accused, Akshata, along with 10 others, entered Lakshmi Venkateshwar Bar and attacked Raju Doddamani whilst he was drinking with friends. They assaulted him with cricket bats, rods, beer bottles, and sticks until he lost consciousness, requiring hospitalisation. The attackers recorded the assault, which later appeared on social media. The entire incident was also captured on CCTV.Municipal workers staged a protest outside Haveri Town Police Station, demanding the arrest of all perpetrators involved in the assault. The incident has raised questions about the safety of municipal workers and the need for stricter enforcement of rules regarding unauthorised public installations.“We have filed a complaint against those accused of attacking civic workers. We maintain zero tolerance for such attacks, and we have arrested seven accused already. Our police are searching for more suspects believed to be involved in this incident. We will initiate legal action against them,” shared Anshu Kumar Srivastava, SP Haveri.