Congress MLA NA Haris, whose son Mohammed Haris Nalapad was suspended from the party's Bengaluru Youth wing on Sunday admitted that what his son had done was wrong and maintained that the guilty would be punished irrespective of political affiliations.
The Congress MLA told ANI, "I don't know where he is currently. Whoever does wrong is wrong, be it a son of an MLA or anyone else. I have always advised my son to never do anything wrong. I will see that my son does not do anything like this again.
Mohammed Nalapad was suspended from the Bengaluru District Youth Congress General Secretary's post for six years.
Meanwhile, working president of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee Dinesh Gundurao said, "Strict action to be taken against people responsible. There won't be any sort of protection whether it is a person in the Congress or outside. Mohammed Nalapad was involved too. We have decided to expel him from the Congress."
However, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers protested over the incident wherein Congress General Secretary Mohammed Haris Nalapad and ten others allegedly beat up a person at a restaurant in Bengaluru's UB City. When the victim went to a hospital for treatment, he was again beaten up the group.
Earlier in the day, an FIR was registered against Haris Nalapad and 10 others.
G Parameshwara, President of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, said Haris has been suspended from the party for 6 years. This came soon after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah promised action saying that the offenders would be punished “regardless of who they are”.
"Offenders should be punished to the full extent of law regardless of who they are. No less, no more.@CPBlr (Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru City) will take action as per law and bring the guilty to book," Siddaramaiah said.
As the incident came to light, BJP workers took to street to protest against the Congress government.
The incident could embarrass the Congress party ahead of the Karnataka Assembly polls, due later this year.
While the schedule for the 224-member state assembly poll is yet to be announced, campaign for the high voltage election has already begun with leaders of both the Congress and BJP exchanging barbs at each other.
(With ANI inputs)
