Businessman, Rajiv Ruparelia, speaks out about attack by police — “it was a reckless and racial attack”

Rajiv Ruparelia, the Managing Director of the of the multi-million dollar Ruparelia Group has spoken out about this morning’s altercation with officers from Uganda Police, that left him and one of his minders injured.

According to CCTV footage seen by this reporter, Rajiv Ruparelia and his wife Naiya, could be seen walking out of their palatial home on Plot 9, Kawalya Kaggwa Close in lower Kololo and in the next footage a scuffle ensues with men dressed in the black Counter Terrorism Unit police uniform pushing and assaulting Rajiv. In another video footage, Rajiv and his wife are heard screaming for help. One of the officers is also heard commanding another officer to shoot the dogs that were apparently trying to save their owner from the furious cops.

In a WhatsApp interview, the businessman who said was walking his dogs in the morning on Kawalya Kaggwa Close in front of their house, when he encountered an over-speeding white van, described the unfortunate incident as a reckless and racial-based attack.

“I stopped to tell them that it was not safe for anybody to ride this fast on a residential road,” Rajiv narrated. “

I asked why an individual must drive this recklessly on a residential road. I requested in a simple way but an officer angrily said to me that this is not India, this is Uganda,” said Rajiv, adding that the police were riding in an unmarked vehicle making it hard to identify them as police at first glance.

“One of the officers asked me why I should ask him to slow down. I did not know there were several other officers in the car, they got out and started beating me. In the process of beating me, I was no longer able to hold my dogs. If someone is beating you how do you control dogs? I released them and they started running,” Rajiv explained.

“Immediately the dogs saw that I was being beaten badly by the officers with sticks and gun butts and others were pushing me, they tried to save me. This was a racial attack,” Rajiv charged.

“My dog watcher came to help me and in the process he was also beaten badly and he is now in hospital. As they were leaving they knocked him with the car but they did not take his life. The victim is now in hospital.  We are hoping he is recovering quickly,” Rajiv added.

Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson, Patrick Onyango this morning confirmed the incident to www.eagle.co.ug an online publication but did not divulge any details yet.