Seer slaps police officer in Vijayapura as he snatches phone during protest

A seer who is on a protest against the State government’s plans to open a PPP model medical college slapped a police officer after he snatched his mobile phone in Vijayapura on Thursday.

Sri Sanganabasaveshwar Swami of Hunshyal Math was among the protestors who were taking part in a protest in front of district in-charge Minister M.B. Patil’s house.

The police began to round them up to be taken into custody and to release them later. While leading the seer to the police van, Police Sub-Inspector Seetaram Lamani took away his mobile phone. This angered the seer who slapped the police officer.

Members of the Vijayapura District Government Medical College Agitation Committee are staging the protest in front of the Minister’s house. Leaders Arvind Kulkarni, Anil Hosmani and others were present.

The committee has been holding the protest for over four months now. Members are taking turns to sit in dharna in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office. They have also held two rounds of meetings with people of Vijayapura origin in Bengaluru.

They are opposed to the State government handing over land, buildings, equipment and human resources in the District Hospital to a private agency, to run a medical college.

Mr. Patil has announced that he is in favour of a government medical college and that he will convince the Chief Minister to cancel the PPP proposal. However, he has also claimed that the PPP model is a plan of the erstwhile BJP government and that some BJP leaders in the district are playing politics by siding with the protestors.