Bengaluru: Cops, BJP red-faced as party leaders attend rowdy's event

The presence of several prominent BJP leaders at a blood donation camp organised by a notorious rowdy has kicked up a row and embarrassed the party and the city police.

BJP MPs P C Mohan, L S Tejasvi Surya, Chickpet MLA Uday Garudachar and Bengaluru South BJP president N R Ramesh were seen with ‘Silent’ Sunil at the camp held at B S Venkataram Kala Bhavana in Chamarajpet on Sunday.

Once Bengaluru’s most feared contract killer, Sunil claims to have shunned the world of crime and taken to social service.

He is said to be considering entering politics. At the camp, he was seen wearing a saffron shawl.

The opposition Congress slammed Home Minister Araga Jnanendra over the event. “When criminals have links with the BJP, can crime rates come down? Are you unfit to catch rowdies or have you restricted the police? How did the BJP catch someone whom the crime branch couldn’t?” Congress tweeted.

Bengaluru Police Commissioner C H Pratap Reddy said he had sought a report from the Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) S D Sharanappa and stressed that they would address the concerns raised by the “mainstreaming” of criminal elements.

Sharanappa said that the Central Crime Branch (CCB) had no grounds to take action against Sunil.

“There is no fresh case or pending warrant/summons against him,” he told DH. “There are no restrictions on his movements.”

According to Sharanappa, the last case against Sunil was registered in 2017 and he got bail a year later.

Sunil has either served sentence or been acquitted by courts.

He also succeeded in getting a stay on the 2017 case, the officer said.

Sharanappa said the CCB routinely checks on anti-social elements. The latest check was done on November 23.

A senior police officer from the western division said permission for the blood donation camp was sought by the Dr BR Ambedkar Labourers and Goods Auto Drivers’ Association, not Sunil. He denied that police provided security at the event.

Mohan, the BJP MP, said he regretted attending the camp.

“The Ambedkar Association, groups of autorickshaw and tempo drivers invited me to the blood donation camp, which they said was being held in association with Rashtrotthana. I asked them who else was coming. They said they had invited Health Minister K Sudhakar, Tejasvi Surya, Uday Garudachar and others,” he told DH.

“As far as I was concerned, it was just a blood donation camp. But after going there, I realised it was a mistake. Tejasvi and I regretted it,” Mohan said.

Who is 'Silent' Sunil?

Sunil Kumar alias 'Silent' Sunil, 41, is accused of 17 serious crimes, including murder, kidnap, extortion and dacoity.

He earned the moniker because he carried out his operations silently. "There's no need to make noise... We won't do it, they will do it," Sunil says in the trailer of a film based on his life. The trailer was released in 2015 but the film was shelved.

In 2019, the CCB held an "intimidation parade" of over 300 rowdies ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. At the parade, Sunil stared menacingly at ADGP (Crime) Alok Kumar, who gave Sunil an earful and ordered that he be put behind bars.