A controversy has broken out in Hubballi, Karnataka, after a woman BJP activist accused the police of stripping and brutally assaulting her during her arrest. The incident took place when police from the Keshwapur Police Station took her into custody, leading to strong reactions from BJP leaders and political tensions in the area.

A video related to the incident has been widely shared on social media. In the video, the woman activist can be seen surrounded by both male and female police personnel inside a bus. Based on her complaint, she claimed that the police mistreated her during the arrest and used excessive force.

According to the details available, the incident is linked to a political dispute between BJP and Congress workers during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list in the Keshwapur Rana area. Earlier, a Congress corporator, Suvarna Kalkuntla, had filed a complaint against the BJP activist, identified as Sujatha, also known as Vijayalakshmi Handi. The complaint accused her of bringing Booth Level Officers (BLOs) involved in the SIR process to the area and allegedly helping in the deletion of votes.

Based on this complaint, the police arrested Sujatha. However, the police have claimed that she resisted arrest and behaved aggressively with the officers. As a result, a counter-complaint was filed against her. The police later booked her under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including Section 307, which relates to attempted murder.

BJP leaders strongly criticised the police action, calling it “inhuman” and “politically motivated.” They demanded strict action against the police officers involved in the arrest and called for a fair investigation into the incident.

Meanwhile, the police have denied all allegations of assault. Hubballi–Dharwad Police Commissioner Shashi Kumar said the incident took place in Chalukya Nagar under the Keshwapur Police Station limits during a survey being carried out by authorised officials. He said that differences between local residents led to an argument, which later turned into a scuffle. As the situation worsened, a large crowd gathered, and violence broke out.

The Commissioner said three separate cases were registered in connection with the incident. He added that on January 5, the woman was arrested in one case after a local resident accused her of brutally attacking another person. According to him, during the arrest, she and her supporters allegedly attacked police personnel, injuring a sub-inspector and several other officers.

Responding to the viral video, the Commissioner said the woman was fully clothed while being taken to the police vehicle. He claimed that she removed her clothes on her own after entering the vehicle. He added that women police officers and local residents later ensured she was properly dressed.

Rejecting the allegations, the police said no officer misbehaved with her. The Commissioner also stated that the woman has nine cases registered against her from previous years and the current year.