BENGALURU: Ten people were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly assaulting officials of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) during a footpath clearance drive near the Shivajinagar Bus Stand in Bengaluru, Karnataka Police said.The arrested accused have been identified as Rangaswmy, Kottresh, Parasuram, Barath, Basavaraj, Kiran, Muzahida Ahmad, Parthiban, Ranjit and Raghu, according to news agency ANI.According to police, those targeted during the incident included GBA Employees Association representative Amruth Raj, GBA Central Division Commissioner Jagadish, Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Vikram Amathe and Joint Commissioner Ramesh Banoth.Police said the incident took place during a court-ordered drive to remove encroachments from footpaths near the Shivajinagar Bus Stand. Officials alleged that a group of people obstructed the operation, assaulted GBA personnel and used a spray against them.A case has been registered based on a complaint filed by the Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE), officials said.“This morning, within the Commercial Street police station limits at the Shivaji Nagar BMTC bus stand, GB officials went to conduct an eviction drive for footpath obstructions. While this process was ongoing, some miscreants allegedly obstructed them from performing their public duty, assaulted them, and used a spray. That is the allegation. We have taken a complaint from the Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) and have registered a case. Obstructing and assaulting a public servant is a serious offense…” stated Amathe.Earlier in the day, an enforcement team from the Greater Bengaluru Authority carried out the eviction drive to clear footpath encroachments in compliance with a court order. The operation faced resistance from a group of protesters and local vendors, officials said.Joint Commissioner (East) Ramesh Banoth said police had arrested 10 people and were working to identify and apprehend others allegedly involved in the attack.“Today, officers and staff from the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) came to conduct a footpath eviction drive. Vendors had encroached here, so the team arrived to clear the footpaths. At that time, a group of people arrived, obstructed the GBA staff, and assaulted them. We received multiple complaints. We immediately registered a case and arrested 10 people who were actively involved in assaulting the officials. Some others are also involved, and we are going to arrest them as well…We have provided additional protection to ensure they can safely continue the eviction drive. We are currently checking the background of the accused to investigate if there was any kind of conspiracy or pre-planned angle behind this…” said Banoth ANI reporter.
