Bengaluru: Karnataka Police have filed an FIR following an incident where BJP MLA N. Munirathna Naidu was struck by an egg in Bengaluru. In his complaint, MLA Munirathna alleges that the incident was part of a conspiracy to attack or potentially murder him.
The police detained three individuals at the scene of the incident, which occurred on Wednesday. They have also registered a counter-complaint regarding an assault from a group of people. After the attack, Munirathna was hospitalized and claimed that the eggs thrown at him contained acid and harmful chemicals. He was later discharged and prescribed medication by doctors.
When pressed about the presence of acid in the eggs, Munirathna accused the police of being ineffectual and indicated he planned to address the matter in detail at an upcoming press conference.
Senior Congress leader Hanumantarayappa dismissed Munirathna’s claims, labeling him as unscrupulous and stating he is trying to distract from serious allegations against him, including charges of rape and attempts to infect opponents with HIV through honey trapping. He noted that Munirathna initially denied the authenticity of audio recordings linking him to offensive remarks about the Vokkaliga community, but forensic tests confirmed it was his voice.
In response, Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka insisted that the police should investigate the situation thoroughly, asserting that repeated attacks on their MLAs should be examined. He suggested that if the Congress party believes in a diversion tactic, their own investigation should be conducted.
The egg attack occurred while Munirathna was in Laxmidevinagar, attending an event celebrating the 100th birthday of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Munirathna held Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar responsible for the incident, claiming that Shivakumar and his brother, former Congress MP D. K. Suresh, were moving to position a local Congress leader, Kusuma Hanumantarayappa, as the MLA for his constituency.
Munirathna, who had previously been jailed due to the rape and honey-trapping allegations, was released on bail after serving a month in prison.