Belthangadi: Friction broke out between the villagers and police, when the former accused the latter of shielding the prime accused in an attempt to rape a school girl case in front of Dharmasthala Police Station on January 4.
Villagers had alleged that Regis and his accomplice Jayaraj had attempted to rape an 8th standard student on her way back home at an isolated location on January 31. The police had nabbed auto rickshaw driver Jayaraj in the case. Villagers suspected high handedness of policemen named Thomas and Viju in shielding the accused Regis, bowing to political pressure. Opposing police inaction, Kalkanja villagers demanded immediate arrest of accused Regis. When police inspector Avinash tried to quell the disturbance , villagers revolted against his move and and alleged of “oppressive action to shield the prime accused”
In the melee, Bhaskar, a Bajrangdal activist also alleged that inspector Avinash had hurled abuses at him by branding him a history-sheeter. Bhaskar took strong objection to Inspector’s abusive statements by justifying his clean past.
Meanwhile BJP district Yuva Morcha President Harish Poonja has demanded the arrest of prime accused by Saturday, February 10, failing which warned of intensifying protests.