Belagavi: BJP MLA, Raju Kage, his daughter, two nephews and eight supporters have been booked by the Belagavi police for allegedly brutally beating up a man from Kagwad, injuring him badly and leaving him with a leg broken.
While several television channels telecast video clippings of the Kagwad resident, Vivek Shetty being dragged and beaten up, Mr Kage claimed he was not aware of the attack. He, however, alleged Mr Shetty had sent several vulgar messages to his daughter, Trupti on WhatsApp and continued to post unsavoury messages against her even on Facebook despite being warned against it.
Mr Shetty has on the other hand alleged the MLA called him to his house in Kagwad on January 1 and beat him up mercilessly with the help of his family and supporters. The incident comes close on the heels of Uttara Kannada MP, Vishveswar Hegde being accused of attacking doctors in a local hospital in Sirsi.
Meanwhile, sources claimed the 13 accused went to Mr Shetty's home on the morning of January 1, dragged him out of his room on the first floor and beat him up with sticks and sharp weapons, leaving him so badly injured that he had to be admitted by his family to a private hospital in Miraj.
Sources close to the Kage family said the families of the MLA and Mr Shetty's had been close friends for many years and had done business together in Kagwad and Athani. But the families had reportedly fallen out ever since Mr Kage denied Mr Shetty a BJP ticket in the last Zilla Panchayat election from Kagwad constituency.
The man is then said to have got involved in anti-party activities, enraging Mr Kage and his supporters. The Belagavi police , which is investigating the attack, has not made arrests so far.
