Congress lawmaker Anand Singh was injured after an alleged assault at a Karnataka resort
Highlights
- Anand Singh was allegedly thrashed, punched and threatened by JN Ganesh
- JN Ganesh has been suspended till an inquiry by the Congress Committee
- Anand Singh alleged JN Ganesh also threatened to kill his family
A Congress lawmaker in Karnataka has accused his colleague of assaulting him during their stay at a resort on the outskirts of Bengaluru. Anand Singh was allegedly thrashed, abused and threatened by JN Ganesh on Saturday evening. Mr Ganesh has been suspended till an inquiry by the Congress Committee headed by Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara is done.
Anand Singh has told the police that Mr Ganesh beat him with a stick, pushed him to the wall and threatened to kill him. He also claimed he would finish his career, he alleged.
The police have filed a First Information Report or FIR against Mr Ganesh, who claims that he, too, was injured in the brawl.
The Congress, which had driven 76 of the party's 80 legislators in the Karnataka Assembly to the Eagleton resort to thwart what they describe as the BJP's attempts to poach Congressmen, has since given multiple versions on why Anand Singh had to be rushed to the hospital.
While DK Shivakumar, a Karnataka minister and senior party leader, dismissed reports of a fight, his brother and party legislator DK Suresh said Anand Singh went to the hospital after experiencing chest pain. Another party leader Zameer Ahmed claimed it was nothing but a disagreement between "friends".
In his complaint, Anand Singh described how after dinner he was headed to his room with Mr Ganesh, when he started abusing him for not helping him financially during elections.
"He threatened to kill my sister, son and other family members. When I objected, he got furious. He pushed me and I fell down. Then he kicked and punched me in the face that left my eyes and nose swollen. He asked for a pistol from his gunman. After that I lost consciousness. Tukaram, Raghumurty, Ramappa and Tanveer Sait, all legislators, rescued me. If not for them, I wouldn't have been alive today. When I gained conscious I found myself at the Apollo hospital," his complaint added.
The Apollo Hospital, where Anand Singh is being treated, in its report said "he sustained injury to head, face; had black eye, nasal blood clot and complained of chest pain".
Anand Singh has demanded legal action against JN Ganesh and adequate protection for his family.
The Kampali legislator has admitted there was a fight, but added that it did not quite go the way it is believed so far. Even I have injuries, he said.
"I, Anand Singh and Bheema Naik had a confrontation. We did not beat each other up. The quarrel snowballed. He (Anand Singh) slipped and suffered a few injuries," Mr Ganesh claimed.
Mr Ganesh has apologised to Anand Singh's family stressing he never hit Anand Singh.
"I would like to apologise to their family (Anand Singh) if they're hurt. Whatever the media is reporting is false," Mr Ganesh said in his apology, reported news agency ANI.
Two of Congress's 80 lawmakers are still "missing" and have been sent notice by the party for skipping a headcount on Friday. Anand Kumar, who had also been off the grid for days, made a comeback to the party fold last week.