K’TAKA CRACKS DOWN ON BJP RALLY TO AVOID COMMUNAL ROW

The police on Tuesday cracked down on the Bharatiya Janata Party Yuva Morcha’s ‘Mangalore Chalo’ bike rally, and detained hundreds of leaders, fearing a flaring up of communal tension if the rally was allowed.

While police units across the state had denied permission for the rally, including in Dakshina Kannada district, on the grounds of maintaining peace, the party decided to go ahead. The rally was to begin from Freedom Park in the city, and expected to reach Mangaluru on Thursday.

Around 200 riders managed to reach Freedom Park on Tuesday, where senior leaders like former home minister R Ashoka, and Yuva Morcha president and Mysuru MP Pratap Simha were present. However, the police seized their vehicles and took the activists into custody. Leaders were detained in Hubli as well, where the rally was to be flagged off by former CM Jagadish Shettar, who was also detained.

The rally had been organised to protest the killing of activists related to the Sangh, and calling for a ban on the Popular front of India, Social Democratic Party of India, and Karnataka Forum for Dignity, accusing their members of killing Sangh activists.

Speaking at the rally, Ashoka said, “the crackdown shows how scared the government is of BJP’s support,” he said.

However, chief minister Siddaramaiah retorted claiming instead that the denial of permission was for fear of traffic congestion in the city.

He suggested the state unit of the BJP should instead organise a Delhi Chalo rally to demand compensation for farmers.

The BJP plans to go ahead with its rally in Mangaluru on September 7 despite not having permission, setting up a potential clash with the police.

Communal tension had been on the rise in the coastal areas of the state, especially since the murders of Ashraf Kalayi, a member of the Social Democratic Party of India, and Sharath Madivala, a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh activist.