Friend alleges MLA’s son and others also barged into hospital ward

In his statement, Praveen, who was with Vidvat when he was allegedly attacked by Mohammed Nalapad Haris, son of N.A. Haris, MLA, placed the number of assailants at 15, said the Cubbon Park police.

“The friend told us that they pounced on Vidvat and started kicking and punching him, ignoring his cries for help. They first punched his face and smashed a liquor bottle on his head, following which Vidvat fell down and began to apologise,” said a police officer.

Mr. Praveen alleged that the restaurant staff were mute spectators and did not help despite his requests.

It was only when the attackers stopped that Mr. Praveen managed to get Vidvat out of the restaurant to the nearby Mallya Hospital. He was admitted to the ICU.

Mohammed Nalapad and his friends allegedly barged into the hospital ward, threatening and abusing the victim, who by then was unconsciousness, said Mr. Praveen. Vidvat, who finished his MBA from a college in Singapore and had returned to Bengaluru a few weeks ago, is the son of a city businessman, Loknath. After the incident, his family arrived at the hospital and filed a complaint with the Cubbon Park police seeking action.

Teams formed

The police have formed two special teams to track down Mohammed Nalapad and the remaining attackers. BJP workers, who staged protests in front of Mr. Haris’ house and the Cubbon Park police station, demanded that the police book Mohammed Nalapad under non-bailable sections. Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy condemned the attack. “The attack on Vidvat is condemnable. I spoke to Mr. Haris to ask his son to surrender and ensure such incident should not be repeated,” he said.

Inspector suspended

Mr. Reddy has transferred the case to CCB and directed the Joint Commissioner of Police Satish Kumar to lead the investigation.

With Mohammed Nalapad Haris still at large, the Cubbon Park Inspector Vijay Hadagali was suspended on Sunday and the jurisdictional ACP, Manjunath Talwar, was transferred to the City Police Commissioner’s office.