The police took activists, who were staging a protest against tahsildar of Channarayapatna in Hassan district, into custody on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The progressive organisations of Hassan district under the banner of the Anti-Corruption Campaign, staged a protest against Channarayapatna tahsildar on Wednesday. The protesters accused the tahsildar, V.S. Naveen Kumar, of engaging in large-scale corruption in the taluk.

Recently, an audio clip purportedly of a conversation in which the officer spoke against the State government and also discussed his plans on making money went viral. In light of the audio clip, members of the progressive organisations had staged protests demanding disciplinary action against the official for the last 13 days. On Wednesday, they resolved to picket at the tahsildar’s office to intensify their protest demanding action against him.

As they marched towards the office, the police intervened and took Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha district president H.R. Naveen Kumar, CITU district president Dharmesh, activists H.S. Manjunath, H.K. Sandesh, Vasudev Kalkere and others into custody. The protesters had heated arguments with the policemen on duty at the place.

The protesters urged the State government that the tahsildar abused the ruling Congress party in the viral audio clip. He had been looting innocent farmers to offer services of the department, they alleged.