Date:30/03/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/03/30/stories/2008033055570800.htm

New Delhi

Seven persons, including police injured in group clash

Staff Correspondent

Victim: An injured policeman being treated at the Government Hospital in Dharwad after the clash.

DHARWAD: Seven persons, including four police personnel, were injured in a shooting incident and subsequent group clash at Yettinagudda village on the outskirts of Dharwad here on Friday night.

Following the incident, the police arrested 49 persons, who have now been remanded to judicial custody till April 10. As a precautionary measure, two Karnataka State Reserve Police platoons have been deployed in the village. An Assistant Commissioner of Police assisted by two police inspectors and their subordinate staff are camping in the village.

The police have given the names of the injured as Siddalingeshwar Dasappa Rudrapur, Basavaraj Arjun Kurubetta, Mallesh Valad, and Dharwad Vidyagiri police inspector B.N. Sakri, police constables Babu Katagi, Gadekar and Salunke.

According to the police, two groups had been formed in the village during the elections to the Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation, one in favour of Basavaraj Parasannavar, who had contested the elections, and other which canvassed against him.

Mr. Parasannavar lost the election and was waiting for an opportunity to settle scores with the opposition. On the night of December 21, Parasannavar and his supporters allegedly attacked Doddaningappa and his supporters at Yattinagudda. He allegedly shot at them with a double barrel gun. Four persons were injured in the incident and the police had arrested 15 persons in this connection.

On Friday, the final day of the Durgadevi jatra in the village, the two groups, one led by Chandrappa Tegur and Arjun Parasannavar and the other led by Gopal Singh Chauhan quarrelled over a petty issue.

Consequently Chandrappa Tegur and his supporters, who were carrying lethal weapons attacked the house of Mr. Chauhan. Apart from ransacking his house, they beat up his supporters. Later, in retaliation, Mr. Chauhan’s supporters attacked Mr. Tegur and his supporters. According to police sources, one of the miscreants allegedly shot indiscriminately, injuring three. However, the weapon hasn’t been recovered by the police yet.

When Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) and other police officials rushed to the spot, supporters of Mr. Tegur assaulted some of them, and four were injured. Immediately, Police Commissioner Narayan Nadamani rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.