Mangaluru Chalo rally: Several BJP leaders detained as protesters clash with police at Jyothi circle

Several BJP leaders were detained in Mangaluru on Thursday by Karnataka Police as the party held a protest march to condemn the murders of party functionaries, despite police not granting them permission.

State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) cadres and senior party leaders, including state party chief BS Yeddyurappa, were detained by the police as they were marching towards Nehru Maidan for a public meeting to condemn the alleged murders of party functionaries in the state.

Thousands of party workers were seen gathered at Jyothi Circle holding the party’s saffron flags and chanting slogans against the government. Senior party leaders, including former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, party general secretary C.T. Ravi, were also present.

“Law and order situation in the state has deteriorated under the Congress government,” Yeddyurappa said at the gathering of party workers here at Jyothi Circle.

“Several BJP functionaries have been killed in the state. How many more will be killed under the Congress government?” the state BJP chief questioned.

On Tuesday as well, scores of BJP leaders were detained by police in several parts of Karnataka ahead of the motorcycle rally, organised to protest the political killings of Hindus in the region. Siddaramaiah had deployed hundreds of policemen at Bengaluru’s Freedom Park, where the rally began, in order to check communal tension from flaring up.

Clashes, however, erupted soon after between BJP workers and police after several protesters were stopped on the outskirts of Bengaluru and a few others were detained. Among those detained were former deputy chief minister R Ashoka, Lok Sabha member Pratap Simha and MLAs Arvinda Limbavali and Satish Reddy. Ashoka and other leaders sat in protest near the Freedom Park and demanded that police furnish an arrest warrant, resulting in a heated argument between the officials and the leaders, following which they were frisked away.

The entire city had been turned into a fortress with the government hoping to avoid a repeat of the clashes witnessed on Tuesday in Bengaluru. Over 5,000 security personnel have been deployed in the state, according to CNN-News18.

BJP denied permission for rally

Police had denied permission for the rally but the BJP insisted they would go ahead with the rally plan. While the Mangaluru Police denied permission citing reason of maintenance of peace in the communally sensitive coastal districts, the Bengaluru Police prohibited the rally in the city, citing law and order and traffic concerns.

“They applied again for protest by assembling at Nehru Ground. We agreed but now they are saying they again want to hold bike rally. We have clarified that bike rally protest will not be allowed due to traffic problems,” an India Today report quoted Mangalore police commissioner TS Suresh as saying. He said that extra reinforcement had been called for especially to see that people on bikes do not enter the city for the rally.

However, the BJP declared that the rally will be held at any cost. The party alleged that the government was creating a situation of an “undeclared bundh”, with an intention to stop the rally and asked the government not to impede the rally, which is being held democratically.

“It is the ruling party’s responsibility to ensure protection for such rallies. Though party workers had applied for police permission in the jurisdictional stations, they haven’t got the sanction yet. Siddaramaiah is indirectly trying to impose an undeclared emergency on the state,” Nalin Kumar Kateel, Member of Parliament, Dakshin Kannada was quoted as saying by  The Times of India .

‘Karnataka govt fears us’

Accusing the government of using the police machinery against BJP workers, Ashoka claimed, “This shows the government fears the BJPs agitation.” “If the government has the guts they should have allowed us to protest…they are using police against us…it is our right as an opposition party to protest against the government and we will go ahead with our rally,” he said.

With no permission from the police for the rally, a delegation led by Leader of Opposition in Assembly Jagadish Shettar had met Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Wednesday, insisting it should be allowed. Siddaramaiah had said on Wednesday, “We have no objections to do a rally… we have asked the police to ensure that there is no disturbance to law and order and public”.

With inputs from agencies