Lawyers' attack: CM denies report about cop's death

Bangalore, March 2: Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda on Friday evening denied media reports about the death of a policeman in the advocates' attack in city court.

Most of the Kannada TV channels had earlier claimed that a constable attached to Viveknagar police station died of injuries in Bowing Hospital following attack by the advocates this afternoon. The journalists had assembled to cover former minister G Janardhana Reddy's court proceedings.

Even as the tension escalated following the unruly behaviour of advocates, home minister RAshoka led a team of officials including chief secretary S V Ranganath and DG&IG Shankar M Badari to hold discussion with chief justice ofKarnataka high court Vikaramajit Sen on the issue.

Mr Gowda in a press meet clarified that there was no loss of life in the incident. “Those who have suffered injuries have been hospitalized”, he said.

However, the CM issued a stern warning to advocates stating that no one would be spared for violating the law and order.

"I have directed chief secretary and DG&IG to submit a detailed report by 6 pm," Mr Gowda said.

Turning the city civil court near Cauvery Bhavan, a km from Vidhana Soudha, into a virtual war zone, lawyers unleashed their anger on the media by attacking them with stones, flinging chairs from the first floor of the court and even using glass tumblers as missiles, when the journalists assembled to cover former minister G Janardhana Reddy's court proceedings.

Several TV journalists were hurt in the attack with one sustaining head injuries. The cameras were smashed and OB vans stationed outside the court premises were also damaged by the lawyers. Security officials were also targeted following which the police lathi charged the belligerent advocates and fired tear gas in the court premises. The police have imposed section 144 in the cenral business district as more than 10 two-wheelers were set afire and 15 cars damaged.

Some of the advocates went to the first and third floor of the court and started flinging chairs and glass tumblers at the media. The provocation is said to be a hangover of the lawyer's ire at the media, after they went on a strike in January this year to protest against a skirmish by one of their colleague with the police who wanted to check the driving licence. The lawyers were furious as they felt the media had given a "one-sided coverage of the incident."