A Bengaluru-based civic activist was allegedly beaten up by a BJP MLA’s supporters for questioning them about a new borewell in the area. The incident occurred on Thursday, March 16, when a new borewell was being dug for a temple in Basaveshwara Nagar. The supporters of BJP MLA from Mahalakshmi Layout, K Gopalaiah, allegedly got into an altercation with Vinay, who ended up with a torn shirt and an injured shoulder. 

Vinay said that he took exception to the work as two borewells already existed on the road, with one of them already supplying water to the temple. “I asked the workers to show me the work order to carry out the digging work. The borewell is also close to a sanitation pipe and if they make any mistake, the water can get contaminated,” Vinay said.

It was then that Gopalaiah’s men began roughing him up, Vinay alleged. “The groundwater levels in this area are already very low and digging many borewells within close proximity will only further impact the water table,” he said.