Udupi : The BJP members staged a protest near Clock Tower on Friday against Congress councillors manhandling a public person during the Udupi City Municipal council meeting on Thursday.

Addressing the protest, former MLA Raghupati Bhat said, for the first time, a common citizen has been assaulted in the council hall. Minister Pramod Madhwaraj is protecting the assaulters. The police could have filed a suo motu case, but no FIR has been filed so far.

Kadiyali resident Rony D’Mello who assulted has explained the incident in detail to the police. He did not come all of a sudden or for no reason – he came because he was called by councillor Geeta Shet to testify on the Kadiyali road inauguration issue, opposing his rights, the Congress councillors assaulted him. Rony was sat in the public gallery, as per his ward councilers request he came to council. Bhat said.

He said, police should file FIR in the case and arrest the persons involved in the assault immediately. If not, we will gherao the SP office,” he warned.

He also said, The entire police department is under Minister Pramod Madhwaraj control. It is because of his pressure that police are not filing an FIR even in this case,” he alleged.

BJP district president Mattaru Ratnakar Hegde said, The Udupi CMC has its own sanctity, goondas who should be in jail are in the council. Udupi CMC no need such councillors. The Congress councillors have eaten enough and more money under CMC commissioner Manjunathaya and grown fat, he said.

Lalaji Mendon, Geeta Shet, Naveen Kuthyar, Kulyadi Suresh Nayak, Katpady Shankar Poojary, Udaykumar Shetty, Geethanjali Suvarna, Vasanti Shetty and others were present.