High drama erupted near the Shivajinagar Bus Stand in Central Bengaluru on Tuesday, when officials of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) began a footpath clearance drive, with a group of people launching an attack on the officers, assaulting them with chairs and helmets, and using pepper spray to chase them away.
The Commercial Street police have arrested 10 persons in connection with the alleged assault. According to the officials, the main accused, Basavaraj Pudukote, president of the State unit of Karnataka Sene, believed to be the instigator, is yet to be arrested.
Authorities said all those arrested so far have been booked under Section 109 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with attempt to murder.
According to officials, Assistant Executive Engineer Madhav Rao was attacked while supervising an anti-encroachment operation conducted by GBA personnel. The assailants allegedly obstructed the drive before assaulting the officer, and fleeing from the spot.
Authorities are probing whether the assault was linked to opposition to the ongoing drive to remove encroachments on footpaths.
Responding to the development, Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said, “Assaulting public servants while they are implementing the directions of the Supreme Court is a serious violation of the law.”
Mr. Byre Gowda asserted that the government stands firmly behind officials carrying out their duties in accordance with the law, and warned that those attacking public servants would not be spared.
“We are taking exemplary action against those responsible,” he said, adding that he was personally monitoring the follow-up with the GBA and the police.
Officials of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), backed by a large contingent of police personnel, resumed clearing footpath encroachments around the Shivajinagar BMTC bus stand after a brief suspension of the drive following an attack on GBA officials by miscreants, in Bengaluru on July 21, 2026. | Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar
The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Employees’ Association has demanded the immediate arrest of those responsible for allegedly assaulting Assistant Executive Engineer Madhav Rao.
“The brutal assault on Assistant Executive Engineer Madhav Rao while he was carrying out a footpath clearance drive is unacceptable. We demand immediate arrest of the unidentified persons involved in the attack,” according to a statement issued by the association president A. Amruth Raj.
Officials of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), backed by a large contingent of police personnel, resumed clearing footpath encroachments around the Shivajinagar BMTC bus stand after a brief suspension of the drive following an attack on GBA officials by miscreants, in Bengaluru on July 21, 2026. | Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar
Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar said the assault was captured on video, which has become a key piece of evidence in the investigation. The police have so far arrested 10 accused in connection with the attack, and efforts are under way to identify and apprehend the others involved, he said.
The police investigation is focusing on identifying the role of each accused, and ascertaining the circumstances leading to the assault on the GBA official.
“We will arrest everyone who participated in the assault. Our officers are gathering information about the background of the accused,” he said.
Published - July 21, 2026 03:14 pm IST