Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Feb 19: Mulky police have taken into custody three persons from Halengady area relating to complaint of assaulting Haleangady gram panchayat development officer (PDO), Poornima, and obstructing the government official from discharging her duties.

Those arrested in the case happen to be Wajid, Shariff, and Nisar from Indiranagar, Haleangady. They were arrested and produced in Moodbidri court. The judge has handed them over to judicial custody for 15 days.

Poornima had visited Indiranagar on Sunday to sort out water supply problem reported from that area. After an exchange of heated words with some people on the occasion, it is said, an assault occurred, after which the PDO had registered complaint against three persons.

Panchayat Development Officers Welfare Association, with the coming together of PDOs from all over the district, had held a peaceful protest demonstration on Monday opposite Dakshina Kannada zilla panchayat. The association had handed over memorandums to the deputy commissioner of the district, police commissioner and zilla panchayat chief executive officer, seeking action against the guilty. Although many PDOS reported for duty in gram panchayats on Tuesday, they had not worked. They also had conveyed their decision to go on mass leave commencing from Wednesday if no action was taken against the accused.