E-Paper
RTI activist files complaint against Surya
A police complaint has been filed against Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya for allegedly violating lockdown norms
A police complaint has been filed against Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya for allegedly violating lockdown norms. A city based RTI activist, in a complaint lodged with Ulsoor Gate police station on Thursday, alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP was seen dining in at a hotel on Nrupatunga Road on Tuesday. However, police are yet to register a first information report (FIR) in this regard, said officials in Bengaluru central division.
RTI activist Vijay Dennis, in his complaint, pointed out that during the lockdown, dining in at a restaurant or a hotel is not allowed and only takeaways are permitted. He referred to a news broadcast by News First Kannada on June 15, which showed Surya and singer Vijay Prakash having a meal at Hotel Nisarga Grand, in his complaint, a copy of which was accessed by HT.
“This is a violation of the lockdown, and the MP should be booked and an FIR lodged under the NDMA (National Disaster Management Act) and IPC (Indian Penal Code),” Dennis said in the complaint, a copy of which was accessed by HT.
He, however, added in his complaint that if the news turned out to be fake, a case should be filed against the news channel.
Officials from the Ulsoor Gate police station confirmed to having received a complaint and said they were looking into the allegations.
“MPs and MLAs are a mirror of the society to the public, if the face of the country or state will violate the lockdown or any law, it will motivate the common public to follow their footprint,” Dennis, who is the founder and director of Karnataka RTI Workers Seva Samithi, said in his complaint.
Tejasvi Surya was not available for comment. A reaction from the MP’s office on the controversy was awaited.
Due to the spike in Covid-19 cases, Karnataka has been under lockdown since April 27. While curbs have been relaxed in some districts, including Bengaluru, dining in and many other facilities are yet to be reopened by the government.
This is not the first time that Surya has courted a controversy. On May 5, the MP was accused of unfairly targeting members of the Muslim community during his inspection of the Covid-19 war room in south Bengaluru. During the inspection, he read out the names of 17 out of the 205 persons employed at the centre, asking their qualifications. All of them were Muslim names. A video of the inspection purportedly showed a staffer replying to Surya that all of them were hired after BBMP, Bengaluru’s municipal body, invited applications.
