Bengaluru: Congress MLA NA Harris’s son Mohammed Nalapad, who was arrested in February for assaulting a youth in Bengaluru, was seen taking part in a Youth Congress protest in the city on Wednesday, despite being suspended from party ranks.

Nalapad is out on bail and this is the second time he was spotted at a party event.

The protest held in front of the Income Tax office in Bengaluru over the Rafale deal saw Nalapad leading a group of Youth Congress workers.

The protesters alleged that the I-T department was targeting Congress leaders and therefore the protest. However, it was the presence of Nalapad that caught everyone’s attention. To add to it, there were also protesters wearing 'Team Nalapad' t-shirts. At one point, Nalapad was even seen trying to climb up a police barricade and shouting slogans. All of them were later detained near Cubbon Park Metro station.

When asked in what capacity was he leading the protests, Nalapad responded that he is a citizen of the country and is protesting as an Indian.

Nalapad was last seen during a Congress protest against fuel price hike on September 10. He was granted bail on June 14 after spending 116 days in jail for allegedly assaulting a youth at a Bengaluru pub. Immediately after the incident in February, Nalapad, who was the general secretary of Bengaluru Youth Congress, was suspended from the party for six years.

Defending Nalapad, KPCC working president Eshwar Khandre said, "Suppose there is a protest march against the central government. All citizens of the state have the right to protest. Why should anybody be denied the rights to participate in protests? The matter is subjudice. It is yet to be finalised whether Nalapad is guilty or not. Whoever indulges in wrongdoings, we are against it. We have made that clear."