After Guwahati Police issued a notice to Indian Youth Congress president B V Srinivas to appear before it on May 2 for questioning in the case of alleged harassment filed by now-expelled Assam Youth Congress chief Angkita Dutta, police in Bengaluru have lodged an FIR against him for allegedly obstructing election officers on duty during a meeting held at a hotel in Bengaluru on April 23.
According to sources, Srinivas allegedly got into an argument with officials during a search and inspection of the meeting.
In Guwahati, Dutta on Monday alleged that “all work” done by Srinivas during the Covid-19 pandemic was part of “a stunt and PR exercise”, PTI reported.
She also maintained that although the Congress expelled her for “anti-party activities” after she levelled charges against Srinivas, she will remain loyal to her “duty and responsibility” towards the party, the agency reported.
Srinivas has served a legal notice to Dutta, demanding an apology.
Srinivas, 42, has been incommunicado for the last few days, ever since Assam Police registered a case against him based on Dutta’s complaint. Belonging to a non-political family from Bhadravati in Karnataka’s Shivamogga district, Srinivas initially aspired to become a professional cricketer — he represented the Karnataka under-16 team and was part of the South Zone under-19 squad.
An injury in his right eye, which kept him away from the game for almost two years, forced him to quit cricket in 2003.
He joined NSUI, Congress’s students’ wing, at the instance of a friend and gradually turned into a full-time politician. He was named IYC president in December 2020.
The second Covid wave in 2021 catapulted Srivinas to national prominence — along with his over 1,000-member team, Srinivas worked relentlessly, arranging for beds, oxygen, medicines and plasma for patients in Delhi and other parts of the country.
