Apologise for son's assault on youth, Congress MLA tells Karnataka Assembly

Ruling Congress legislator N.A. Haris on Tuesday apologised in the Karnataka Assembly for an assault by his son Mohammed Nalapad on a youth at a city cafe.

"I tender an apology if the incident involving my son has affected the dignity of the house and pride of its members," Haris said on the third day of the Assembly Budget Session.

Nalapad, 24, is in three-day police custody till Wednesday after he surrendered on Monday at the Cubbon Park police station, where he was booked for allegedly assaulting Vidvat, 24, at Fergi Cafe in the upscale UB City Mall in the city centre on Saturday night after an altercation.

An embarrassed Congress expelled Nalapad on Sunday and sacked him as state Youth Congress General Secretary after police belatedly filed an FIR (First Information Report) against him on the complaint of the victim's friend V. Praveen.

Regretting that "sometimes due to unusual circumstances, such incidents happen", Haris admitted that none was above the law and wrongdoers must be punished.

"But I object to the mudslinging by opposition parties against me and my party over the incident in view of the coming Assembly polls," the Congress MLA said.

Denying opposition Bharatiya Janata Party leader Jagadish Shettar's charge that he had put pressure on police to delay filing of the FIR and arrest of his son, Haris said he would have asked his son to surrender on Sunday itself but was not reachable or traceable.

"Nalapad surrendered on Monday after I conveyed my displeasure to him through his friends and told him sternly to do so, as a law-abiding member of this august house," Haris said.

Haris also apologised to the media for the alleged attack on media persons at the police station by Nalapad's supporters on Monday at the time of his surrender and where members of the BJP and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) were protesting against the assault.

"I admit that nobody, including legislators, is above law and wrongdoers must be punished as per the law," said Haris.

Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy told the legislators that a police officer was suspended for not acting against the accused swiftly.

In a statement earlier in the day, Haris also apologised to Vidvat and his parents for Nalapad's violent conduct and murderous assault on their son.

--IANS

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