Karnataka police strip, assault Congress worker wearing PayCM T-shirt at Bharat Jodo Yatra

The police action against their worker invited the wrath of several Congress leaders, including Siddaramiah and DK Shivakumar, who deemed the force puppets of the ruling BJP government.

The Congress party worker from Vijayapura, identified as Akshay Kumar Sindagi, was seen wearing a white T-shirt which had the PayCM logo on it. He was also waving a white flag which had the PayCM logo with Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s face on the QR Code on it.

The BJP complainant

A Gundulpet town municipal member and BJP worker GS Kiran happened to see the man wearing the T-shirt and holding the flag on a television news channel on Friday.

On Saturday, Kiran confronted Akshay and demanded that he refrain from using the PayCM campaign T-Shirt and the flag.

Heated arguments ensued between the two and Girish went to the Chamrajanagar CEN police station and filed a complaint against Akshay under a sections of the Information Technology Act and the Indian Penal Code.

Chamarajanagar Superintendent of Police TP Shivakumar told South First that the accused was issued with a notice under 41-D and was warned against any activity that would affect law and order in the state.

“Since it was a non-cognizable section, the youth was warned and released on a station bail,” said Shivakumar.

Asked about the assault by the policeman, the SP said that he had ordered an inquiry into the incident.

“However, the man did not say that he was beaten up by any policeman and he has not filed any complaint,” Shivakumar added.

Congress outrage

The video of Akshay Kumar being stripped off his PayCM T-shirt and being assaulted by a policeman had gone viral on social media.

Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah tweeted: I condemn the act of rowdism by the police on our party worker who was wearing #PayCM shirt.

I urge @CMofKarnataka to immediately suspend this rowdy police.

Siddaramaiah also tweeted : Like Chief minister, like police.

@BSBommai had stated that he will bring UP model to Karnataka. His policemen are implementing it.

@BJP4karnataka lack courage & strength to face the #40percentSarkara corruption campaign of our party.

Unable to face it politically, coward BJP is trying to silence the voices using Police, Siddaramaiah tweeted.

https://twitter.com/siddaramaiah/status/1576173011849293824

Reacting to the incident, Congress leader Shivakumar asked if all of us wears PayCM T-shirt tomorrow for the rally, will you arrest all of us?

PayCM campaign

The ongoing PayCM campaign involves a QR code like the one you find on UPI payment platforms such as PayTM or GPay. But here, instead if reaching a transaction page, scanning the QR code posters takes the user to a website launched by the Congress to highlight allegations of corruption against the Bommai government.

A message on the poster reads “40% accepted here” and asks the reader to scan the QR code to make the “CM pay” for corruption. There is also a toll-free phone number set up by the Congress to “register complaints of corruption”.

The website, www.40percentsarkara.com, is where one would land after scanning the QR code. The Congress says citizens can submit their complaints there against the government.