A 20-year-old daily-wage worker has filed a police complaint against BJP MLA Munirathna Naidu and six of his associates, accusing them of casteist abuse and violence during the demolition of makeshift sheds at the Akkamahadevi slum in Bengaluru’s Peenya. The complainant, H Geetha, alleged that the group arrived around 11 am on Monday, January 20 with an earthmover and razed down temporary shelters of around 60 families without prior notice.
According to the complaint filed at the RMC Yard police station, the demolition destroyed cash ranging from Rs 20,000 to Rs 60,000 and 30 grams of gold that had been kept inside the sheds.
When the residents confronted the group, Munirathna allegedly abused them, ordered them to leave and return to their native towns in north Karnataka, and resorted to physical violence. The complaint further states that several women were dragged by their arms, kicked in the chest with footwear, and manhandled despite their pleas for mercy. It adds that there was no prior intimation of the demolition.
Based on Geetha’s complaint, the RMC Yard police registered an FIR against Munirathna and six others identified as Vasanthkumar, Channakeshava, Naveen, Sreerama, Peenya Kitty, and Peenya Ganga. The FIR charges them under the SC & ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 324(2) (mischief affecting property), Section 74 (assault or criminal force to outrage the modesty of a woman), and Section 351 (criminal intimidation).
This is the fifth FIR registered against Munirathna, who is already facing serious charges, including rape and bribery. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) had previously chargesheeted him in two cases, one of which involved casteist abuse and rape.