Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Oct 7: Black day had been observed in the district in protest against the laying of foundation stone for Yettinahole project on March 3, 2014. During this protest, road had been blocked near Suratkal. The police had registered a case against the protesters, accusing them of creating problems for the general public and passengers by blocking their movement.

The second JMFC court here, on Saturday 6, exonerated all the protesters named as accused in the case by the police, for want of evidence.

Former MLA and president of Karavali Jeevanadi Netravati Rakshana Samiti, Vijay Kumar Shetty, had been named as the first accused in the case. Satyajit Suratkal of Hindu Jagran Vedike was the second accused. All the 21 persons named as accused in the case like Raita Sangha leader, Rohidas Rai, Purushotham Chitrapur, and Pratiba Kulai stand absolved of the charges.

File photo

The then police inspector of Suratkal station, Nataraj, had registered a suo motu case against the protesters, alleging that they bad blocked vehicles moving on the road, and created road block by burning old tyres on the road. Nataraj also had conducted investigation and filed charge sheet in the court.

Advocates, M C Shenoy, Shambhu Sharma, Vinod Paul, and Rony Crasta had presented arguments on behalf of the accused in the case.