Bengaluru: Shamed by the assault by a few rowdies on a bike-borne couple at Motappanapalya in east Bengaluru on New Year’s eve, the Indiranagar police booked a criminal case against the man who made public the CCTV footage of the incident.

Ramachandra, a resident of Motappanapalya 6th Cross, Indiranagar, told reporters here on Saturday the police are supposed to protect whistleblowers, but they have labeled me as a criminal for sharing the footage with the media. “They’re trying to cover up their lapses by portraying me as a rowdy. If police shoot the messenger, why will anyone come forward with evidence pertaining to crime?” Ramachandra asked.

The CCTV camera installed in front his house captured the incident in which some rowdies thrash two students, including a girl, after the latter’s bike touches one of them. The video, which went viral, triggered outrage as the incident had occurred despite police enhancing security. Police subsequently arrested ten persons, including two notorious rowdies.

Ramachandra said the police summoned him to the police station on the pretext obtaining the footage.

“They charged me with complicity in the crime and forced me to stand next to criminals for a photograph that goes into police records. Police accused me of defaming them and wanted to teach me a lesson,” he said.

Meanwhile, Additional Commissioner of Police (Bengaluru East) Seemanth Kumar Singh said Ramachandra claims to be a self-styled human rights activist and was booked for an extortion case at Sampigehalli police station last November.

“He was on the run and was picked up now,’’ Singh said.

On Ramachandra’s allegations, the Additional Commissioner of Police has promised to look into the matter.