Udupi, (The Hindu): As many as five followers of a Udupi Zilla Panchayat member were injured after they were attacked by a gang of 11 persons at Bailoor village near Karkala on Wednesday night.

As many as nine persons belonging to a gang, led by Praveen Kulal and Kodekere Vishwa, attacked the five followers of zilla panchayat member, Sumeet Kowdoor, of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at Bailoor village. Mr. Kowdoor was with the party workers when the incident took place at around 10.45 p.m. on Wednesday.

According to a complaint lodged by Mr. Kowdoor, the nine members of the gang and their leaders Praveen Kulal and Kodekere Vishwa reached Bailoor in two cars. Then Praveen Kulal asked the people around where Mr. Kowdoor was and fired from his pistol to the ground. However, Mr. Kowdoor was protected by supporters.

Meanwhile, Kodekere Vishwa and his men got off their car and assaulted the five followers of Mr. Kowdoor with swords and other sharp weapons. All the five injured — Deepak Nakre, Sudhir Parppadi, Amit Shetty, Vasu and Devadas — were rushed to a hospital in Karkala. After the assault, the gang escaped.

According to Mr. Kowdoor, Praveen Kulal and Kodekere Vishwa had taken “Supari” to murder him and another person Mahesh Shenoy, convener of the Karkala taluk unit of Bajrang Dal. Before the assault, the two had called him on his mobile telephone and informed him that they had taken “Supari” to kill them both, he said.

A case has been registered under Sections 143, 144, 147, 148, 109, 326, 307 read with 149 of Indian Penal Code and Sections 3 and 27 of Arms Act at the Karkala Town Police Station. Investigation is on, the police said.

K. Annamalai, Superintendent of Police, told The Hindu that three teams had been formed under the Assistant Superintendent of Police D.P. Suman to arrest the accused.