Bengaluru: Activist throws his weight, protests near Legislative House, arrested

Bengaluru: An activist claiming to be the state president of Karnataka Chaluvali Vedike, Ramanagar, was arrested after he tried to enter the Legislative House (LH) without a pass and created a ruckus when he was stopped at the gates by the Vidhana Soudha police on Wednesday.

The activist, Madhu Gowda, was initially not arrested and only a non-congnisable report (NCR) was registered for his misconduct of abusing policemen at the LH gate.

But later when he called a few of his supporters and protested, the police quickly arrested him for organising the protest without police permission. He and his 10-12 supporters have been taken into police custody, a senior police officer said.

According to Vidhana Soudha Security police personnel, Madhu Gowda came with his supporters in an SUV and stopped at the gate of the Legislative House adjacent to Vidhana Soudha and demanded that they be allowed inside. The policemen found no Legislative House pass on them and denied entry, after which a verbal scuffle ensued.

The activist, who claimed to be the state president of Karnataka Chaluvali Vedike, verbally abused the ASI and his three constables for stopping him. The policemen initially only registered an NCR against the activist for abusing government officials on duty.

But when Madhu Gowda called some more of his supporters to protested in front of the LH gate, the cops immediately arrested him and his supporters for protesting in front of the Legislative House without police permission.

With the session going on, ban orders have been clamped around Vidhana Soudha and no gathering can be held in the 1 km radius of the Soudha. The Vidhana Soudha police have registered a complaint with the inspector on duty as the complainant and taken up legal proceedings against the activists.