Mangalore: There was chaos during the visit of minister for textiles and ports Baburao Chinchansur to the Bunder Old Port on Friday June 20th. Locals started protesting and demanded  the transfer the assistant port officer, Niranjan Murthy, The locals were agitating against the assistant port officer – Niranjan Murthy’s continuance in the said post for the last 29 years. They also said that a transfer order and the appointment of another officer in his place had been arranged; however the officer has been denying the transfer.

Reportedly when Murthy insulted the local corporator Abdul Lateef, the people  agitated against Murthy in support of the corporator. According to the allegation made against Murthy by corporator Abdul Lateef, Murthy is said to have made a  person from the Mogaveera community run from pillar to post to obtain a sanction for  kerosene subsidy.  The corporator had reportedly questioned Murthy’s attitude towards the Mogaveera man, to which Murthy allegedly retorted with snide remarks about Lateef’s religion.

 Lateef then urged the higher authorities to transfer Murthy, as, apart from misbehaving, he had been holding the post from the last 29 years. Lateef succeeded in a getting Murthy’s transfer order and a new officer even arrived at the port to replace Murthy, but the he stayed.

 On Friday, when the minister arrived, it is said that Murthy approached him with a request to let him continue in the post. Corporator Lateef who was at the spot questioned the minister about Murthy’s continuation in the post for the last 29 years, despite his transfer order and arrival of the new officer. At this, supporters of Murthy objected to the corporator’s remarks and soon a verbal fight began between two groups.

The Bunder police restored order after some effort and managed to bring the situation under control and disperse the mob.