Hubballi,  7 Jan 

A political and police controversy has erupted in Karnataka after a BJP woman functionary alleged that police personnel disrobed her while arresting her in Hubballi, an accusation firmly denied by the police.

A video showing the woman topless during the incident went viral on social media, triggering sharp reactions and political criticism. The police, however, claimed that the woman removed her clothes herself while resisting arrest and assaulted officers, injuring several of them.

N Shashikumar, Commissioner of Police, Hubballi-Dharwad, said the woman was arrested in connection with an attack on government officials during a land survey operation in the Chalukya Nagar area of Keshwapur.

According to the police, revenue officials and personnel were attacked while attempting to clear an alleged government land encroachment, leading to the registration of three cases. The woman was named as a key accused in one of them.

Shashikumar said that a police team comprising eight to ten women officers was deployed to carry out the arrest, anticipating possible resistance. He claimed that once inside the police vehicle, the woman unclothed herself.

He added that women police personnel immediately sought assistance from local residents to procure alternative clothing and repeatedly requested her to change. “The allegation that police disrobed her is absolutely false and motivated,” he said, adding that he had personally reviewed the sequence of events.

The police commissioner said four women police officers were injured during the incident, two of them seriously after being bitten in the abdomen. Several male officers also sustained injuries, though they chose not to file complaints.

Despite rejecting the allegations, Shashikumar said a Deputy Commissioner of Police has been directed to conduct a detailed inquiry into events between  1 and 5 January. The woman, who reportedly has multiple cases pending against her, has been remanded to judicial custody