Serious allegations of police excess have surfaced in Hubballi after a BJP woman worker accused the Keshwapur Police of assault during her detention, triggering public outrage and a political storm on Wednesday.
The incident, reportedly linked to an attempt to arrest her based on a complaint by Congress corporator Suvarna Kalkuntla, escalated after a video circulated on social media alleging assault and disrobing.
According to BJP leaders, the episode is connected to earlier tensions during voter list revision, when BJP workers accused booth-level officials of deleting votes, leading to repeated clashes between BJP and Congress workers. While the Congress corporator filed a complaint, BJP workers have lodged a counter-complaint, further intensifying the row.
Responding to the allegations, Shashi Kumar, Commissioner of Hubballi-Dharwad City Police, denied claims that the woman was undressed during detention. He said the woman was clothed when taken into custody and allegedly removed her clothes herself after entering the police van, creating a scene.
The commissioner added that multiple cases have been registered against the woman since 2020, including four at Keshwapur police station and one at Vidyagiri in Dharwad. With four new cases this year, a total of nine cases now stand against her, he said, as investigations continue.
