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Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has handed over MLC Dr Suraj Revanna's sex abuse case to the CID.

ADGP Law and Order R Hitendra issued an order today directing the Superintendent of Police of Hassan district to hand over the case concerned to Suraj Revanna to the Investigation Officer at CID with immediate effect. 

He even asked the DGP CID Special Units and Economic Offences Bangalore to take up further investigation.

Suraj Revanna was booked under section 377 (unnatural offences), 342 (wrongful confinement), 506 (criminal intimidation), 34 (common intention) of IPC. 

The complainant has alleged that Suraj sexually abused him in a farmhouse, regarding which an FIR was filed against Suraj at Hassan.

The Police brought Suraj Revanna to the CEN police station on Saturday night at around 7:30 pm. They recorded his statements in connection with the complaint lodged against him by an Arkalgud youth and also on the counter complaint lodged by his close associate Shivakumar, office-bearer of 'Suraj Brigade'.

Hassan SP Mohammed Sujitha visited the police station on Saturday night.

Dr Suraj is the son of MLA H D Revanna and brother of former MP Prajwal Revanna.

Bengaluru: Karnataka BJP on Thursday held "Cycle Jatha" here, as part of its state-wide protest against the Congress government's decision to hike petrol and diesel prices.

BJP workers and leaders led by its state President B Y Vijayendra sought to mark their protest by riding bicycles from the party's state office 'Jagannath Bhavan' to 'Vidhana Soudha'.

However, the police stopped the protesters mid-way, detained Vijayendra and others and whisked them away in a bus.

Former Deputy Chief Minister C N Ashwathnarayan and MLC C T Ravi were among the leaders who participated in the protest shouting slogans against the state government, which last week hiked sales tax on fuel making petrol and diesel costlier by Rs 3 and Rs 3.5 per litre, respectively.

Speaking to reporters, Vijayendra said BJP is holding protests across the state in all the district and talk centres by blocking roads, against the government's decision to increase the prices, and urged the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to roll it back.

"In Bengaluru by organising Cycle Jatha, the party has tried to warn the state government, but this adamant government is not even thinking about rolling back price hike. The Chief Minister is citing higher prices in neighboring states, but our state is in distress, farmers are in distress due to drought, in such a situation the decision to put more burden on the common man is an unpardonable sin," he said.

"I urge the Chief Minister to rollback the hike immediately and no decision should be taken that causes burden to farmers and common man," Vijayendra said, noting that Ministers have also said that bus fare will also be hiked, and water tariffs increased in Bengaluru in the future.

"This government has become a curse to the people of the state," he added.

Reacting to Home Minister G Parameshwara's reported indirect caution to the BJP that the police may resort to caning to disperse anyone who tries to cause inconvenience to the public in the name of protests, the state BJP chief called it "height of foolishness."

"BJP and its workers will not fear for lathis and will raise their voice for the sake of people and farmers of the state. The Home Minister is speaking out of arrogance of power, we will not fear such things, our fight will continue until the government withdraws its decision," he said.

Similar protests have been reported from Belagavi, Mysuru, Mandya, Shivamogga, Hubballi and Haveri among other places. Belagavi MP Jagadish Shettar and Haveri MP Basavaraj Bommai, both former Chief Ministers, too participated in protests in Belagavi and Davangere, respectively.

Mangaluru: Two auto-rickshaw drivers were electrocuted to death after coming into contact with a live wire near Rosario church on Wednesday night.

The autorickshaw drivers who were electrocuted were identified as Raju (50) of Pallyahobli in Hassan and Devraj (46) from Ramakunja near Kadaba.

Due to heavy rains, the electric wire from an electric pole got snapped and fell on the ground.

Raju, who stepped out of his room, got electrocuted. Hearing Raju's shouts for help, Devraj rushed to his rescue. He was also electrocuted and both died on the spot, Mangaluru Commissioner of Police Anupam Agrawal said.

Police initially suspected that the deaths due to electrocution took place in wee hours on Thursday. But on checking CCTV footage, police realised that the autorickshaw drivers had been electrocuted around 9 pm.

Based on the complaint filed by Raju's brother a case was registered under sections 304A.