After 18 days of agitation, advocates finally called off their protest on Tuesday and will start attending courts from Wednesday. The decision was taken after Home Minister R. Ashok and Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Kumar told them that action has been initiated against some police officers. The home minister has transferred DCP (Central) Dr G. Ramesh and ACP (Halasur Gate subdivision) K.N. Jitendranath. While Mr Jitendranath has been transferred to the City Crime Branch, ACP B.N. Nyame Gowda has been posted from the CCB to Halasur Gate. Show-cause notices have also been issued to DCP (West) S.N. Siddramappa and three other ACPs who were on duty at the City Civil Court on March 2 when the tussle broke out allegedly between the advocates, police and media men.
The ministers sought five days to initiate action against the police officers. The enquiry report, filed by DGP (CID) R.K. Dutta on the role of policemen in the clashes, does not recommend the transfer of these police officers. DCP Ramesh was also injured in the incident and had to be rushed to hospital. The lawyers have decided to wait for five days and call off the protest. In case the assurances are not fulfilled, the advocates will decide on the next course of action.
The advocates who had planned to lay siege to Vidhana Soudha on Tuesday withdrew the protest after assurances from the two ministers. Mr Ashok and Mr Suresh Kumar met the advocates at the City Civil Court on Tuesday and assured them that the demands would be met. Before the ministers arrived, around 5,000 advocates who had gathered near the court complex were planning to march towards Vidhana Soudha. Senior police officers, including additional police commissioner, joint police
commissioner, DCPs and ACPs tried to persuade Advocates Association Bangalore President K.N. Subba Reddy against the march. The government played its cards smart by deputing senior police officers either from Kolar district, from where Mr Reddy hails, or from his community to settle the issue. Additional Commissioner of Police Narayana Gowda is from Mr Reddy’s home town, while JCP Mr B.N.S. Reddy and ACP Venkataswamy of Traffic East belong to Mr Subba Reddy’s community. When the police realised their efforts were not paying off, the ministers stepped in.
Mr Ashok announced at Vidhana Soudha that the two officers have been transferred, while show-cause notices have been issued to four other officers. Advocates’ Association office-bearers said Mr Ashok told them that action would be initiated against all the policemen mentioned in Dutta’s report. “We hope that the home minister keeps his word and takes action over the next five days. We will decide our course of action after that,” they added.