Ex-MP Anantkumar Hegde booked for assault after road rage incident near Bengaluru

While the charges are bailable, police said they expect to make arrests soon and that the investigation is ongoing.

A case of road rage on the Bengaluru–Pune National Highway turned violent on Monday evening, leading to a police FIR against former Uttara Kannada MP Anantkumar Hegde and his aides for allegedly assaulting a family travelling in another vehicle.

Karnataka BJP MP Anantkumar Hegde and his aides allegedly assaulted a family travelling in another vehicle. (ANI)

According to a report by Times of India, the incident took place near Hale Nijagal in Nelamangala when Saif Khan, a resident of Vasantapura, was driving a Toyota Innova with women passengers and attempted to overtake Hegde’s Mahindra XUV700.

According to Khan’s police complaint, a confrontation erupted when Hegde’s SUV blocked his vehicle and men accompanying the former MP allegedly dragged him and others out and physically attacked them, the report added.

The Dobbespet police have booked Hegde, his driver Mahesh, gunman Sridhar, and others under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including voluntarily causing hurt, wrongful restraint, criminal intimidation, and assault on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty. While Hegde’s son was reportedly present in the vehicle, his name was not mentioned in the complaint.

Saif Khan said the situation escalated quickly and turned violent. A woman in the Innova began recording the incident on her phone when the MP’s vehicle blocked them. The video allegedly shows Hegde’s men attacking the passengers, including women who tried to intervene. “They punched me so hard on my mouth that two of my teeth were broken,” Khan told police, adding that he sought treatment at a health centre before filing the complaint.

As a crowd began to gather at the scene, two women from Khan’s vehicle reportedly blocked Hegde’s SUV to prevent it from fleeing. Police patrolling the highway soon arrived and escorted both parties to the Dobbespet station for questioning. Meanwhile, the complainant also accused the MP’s gunman Sridhar of brandishing his licensed firearm to threaten them. Sridhar later told police he had drawn the weapon as a “precaution” given that Hegde faces security threats.

While the charges are bailable, police said they expect to make arrests soon and that the investigation is ongoing. The incident has stirred political attention due to Hegde’s stature as a former MP, and questions are being raised over the misuse of power and the conduct of armed personal security officers.