Magistrate booked for allegedly assaulting cops, auto driver

A magistrate serving in neighbouring Kerala has been booked for allegedly assaulting an auto-rickshawdriver and police personnel in an 'inebriated'
condition atSullia near here in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka, police said today.
Two cases have been registered against First Class Judicial Magistrate V K Unnikrishnan, hailing from Thrissur and working at Vidyanagar in Kasaragod District of Kerala, in connection with the incident which happened yesterday, they said.
He has been charged with various offences including criminal intimidation, voluntarily causing hurt and wrongful restraint of the Indian Penal Code.
The second case had been registered against him for allegedly assaulting and causing hurt to deter a public servantfrom his duty of IPC, Police said.

Unnikrishnan, who was allegedly drunk, had engaged an auto-rickshaw at Sullia bus stand and told the driver in 'unclear' language where he wanted to go. As the driver repeatedly asked him for the destination, the Magistrate got angry and allegedly assaulted him, they said.

The driver then drove the vehicle straight to the police station where also the magistrate tried to allegedly manhandle him.
When two police constables intervened, they were also allegedly assaulted.
The magistrate also allegedly manhandled and misbehaved with the Circle Inspector Krishnaiah at the police station during interrogation.
Besides, he damaged the furniture at the station, after which he was taken to a hospital for medical test, they said.

On confirming the identity of the judicial officerafter contacting their counterparts in Kasaragod, the policeofficials took him to the district circuit house under protection.
TheMagistrate was later allowed to go home after he gave anundertaking to the police.