Kushalnagar :  Three persons including a police constable sustained serious injuries in a clash between two groups over a trivial issue at Basavanahalli near here on March 21, Thursday.

The injured are Udaykumar, a constable and Shivanna of Basavanahalli and Adam of Gandhadakote. Adam who has sustained serious injuries has been admitted to Madikeri District Hospital, while the other two are undergoing treatment at the Kushalnagar Community health Centre.

Kushalnagar police have registered cases against 10 persons on the charges of attacking police personnel, rioting and looting.  Six persons namely Muttanna, Nagesh, Manu, Abhi and Chanda have been arrested and produced before the court. Search is on for the rest four.

The incident : A few tourists from Tamil Nadu had arrived  in the Heroor Harangi backwater area near Basavanahalli.  Even a few villagers from Basavanahalli had accompanied the tourists. Meanwhile, a clash ensued between a team of youth which had arrived from Kushalnagar   and the TN tourists wherein the Kushalnagar youth were reportedly thrashed. The humiliated youth  arrived with some of their other friends and attacked Shivanna of Bsavanahalli the same night. This instigated a clash and  the villagers attacked Adam of Kushalnagar. Even the police who rushed to the spot had to face the ire of the villagers. Hundreds of villagers had gathered on the streets till late night further adding to the tension.
The police finally resorted to a lathi charge to quell the mob.