KAMPALA, Uganda, June 21 (UPI) -- The mayor of Kampala, Uganda, said he was hit with tear gas and beaten by police officers escorting him to court to face abuse-of-power charges.
Erias Lukwago said a tear-gas grenade was thrown into his vehicle, causing him to collapse, and police then picked him up and put him in a van where officers hit him, tore his clothes and accused him of inciting violence, the BBC reported Thursday.
Police denied mistreating Lukwago, who is a critic of President Yoweri Museveni.
In another incident, opposition leader Kizza Besigye was arrested for conducting a rally in support of Lukwago without a permit, police said.
An aide to Besigye said the opposition leader was in Kampala on business when a number of people gathered around his car, then became angry when police stepped in.
