The Bengaluru police says it will no longer allow popular Kannada actor Darshan to hold public birthday celebrations on the streets near his residence in Rajarajeshwari Nagar. This comes after a police constable from Jnanabharathi police station was allegedly assaulted by fans of the actor when he was trying to manage the crowd during the birthday celebrations held outside the actor's residence on Sunday.
"We will ask them to conduct such events at a public ground instead of disturbing the peace in the locality," B Ramesh, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Bengaluru (West) told Deccan Herald.
A police official at Rajajinagar police station confirmed the development and stated that this is not the first time birthday celebrations of the actor had created a ‘nuisance’ in the neighbourhood.
On Saturday night, Devaraj DR, a 26-year-old police constable was trying to manage the crowd outside Darshan's residence near Ideal Homes Layout in Rajarajeshwari Nagar. At around 12:30 am on Sunday, as Darshan was set to step out of his house and meet his fans, the constable asked the fans to stand in a queue. When Darshan stepped out, pandemonium ensued and an unknown person from the crowd allegedly punched the police constable in the nose and eye with a stone in hand.
"The crowd was unmanageable and Devaraj was asking people in the crowd to stand in a queue. But they were unwilling to listen and punched him in the commotion when Darshan stepped out of his house," a police official at Jnanabharathi police station told TNM. Devaraj is receiving treatment at a nearby private hospital.
In a complaint filed at Rajajinagar Police Station, Devaraj stated that the organisers of the public birthday celebration had not set up barricades to manage the crowd. The police registered a case under sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty) and 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from his duty) of the Indian Penal Code.