Police detain K'taka BJP workers for holding 'Mangaluru chalo' bike rally

Bengaluru: A clash broke out between police and Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers in Bengaluru on Tuesday when the youth wing of the party decided to take out a bike rally.

A large team of police personnel was deployed at the route since morning to prevent the bikers to hold Mangaluru Chalo rally.

Several BJP workers were detained after they set out on the bike rally organised in protest against the alleged killings of Hindu activists in the coastal districts.

Among those detained were former deputy chief minister R Ashoka, Lok Sabha member Pratap Simha and MLAs Arvinda Limbavali and Satish Reddy.

According to PTI, 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 protest and resultant chaos lead to traffic snarls around Freedom Park which is located near one of the busiest junctions in the heart of the city, causing inconvenience to commuters.

BJP, on Monday, was denied permission by the local police to carry on with its protest plans.

The Bengaluru police had put in place prohibitory orders late on Monday, while Mangalore police has denied permission to hold the rally.

The BJP leaders on Monday alleged that the government was creating a situation of an 'undeclared bandh', with an intention to stop the rally and asked the government not to stop the rally, being held democratically.

The rally by the party's youth wing was against the alleged murder of 18 Hindu activists and repeated incidents of violence against them in the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi.

They were also seeking action against organisations like Popular Front of India, which they term as "fundamentalist", and the resignation of district in-charge minister Ramanath Rai, holding them responsible for the killings.

According to the programme announced by BJP, the rally towards Mangaluru commenced from different places, including Bengaluru and Hubballi, on Tuesday and from Shivamoga, Mysuru and other nearby areas to Mangaluru on September 7.

Senior party leaders, including state unit chief B S Yeddyurappa, was expected to take part in the rally at Mangaluru on September 7.

There were reports of police crackdown on BJP workers who were going ahead with the rally in different parts of the state, including Bengaluru, Hubballi, Kalaburgi, Belagavi and Ballari.

BJP leaders have alleged that there were also incidents of lathi-charge on party activists.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had on Tuesday said, "We have no objections to do a rally...we have asked police to ensure that there is no disturbance to law and order and public."

With inputs from PTI.