Udupi: VHP-BD protest in Brahmavar turns violent, shops, police jeep damaged

Suvarna Brahmavar
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (EP)

Updated

Udupi, Feb 15: A protest meeting led by Vishwa Hindu Parishat and Bajrang Dal in Brahmavar to condemn the arrest of district Goraksha Dal leader Dinesh Mendon took an ugly turn on Saturday Februrary 15.

Two shops were vandalised and a police jeep was stoned during the protest.

The protesters dispersed only after the police assured of suitable action against the guilty.

Three separate complaints have been lodged in the police station in connection of acts of vandalism. As per sources, the police have already arrested nine persons.

Dinesh Mendon was among the three arrested a few days back for allegedly catching hold of and robbing Yaseer, accused of uploading obscene pictures of a girl on Facebook, police sources said.

Hundreds of protestors, led by VHP district president Suprasad Shetty and Vilas Nayak of BJP, went around forcibly closing down shops in areas like Akashvani circle, old bus stand, Holy Family complex and fish market. They then proceeded towards bus stand area and tried to forcibly close down Sudesh Travels belonging to a Congress worker. When he resisted, they pelted stones and damaged the office, after which they damaged a police jeep parked nearby, eyewitnesses said.

As the news spread, hundreds of Congress workers too gathered and a tense atmosphere prevailed. The police resorted to light lathi charge to disperse the crowds.

MP Jayaprakash Hegde who arrived at the spot pacified the Congress workers and assured to take action against the miscreants.

Brahmavar bandh called by VHP and Bajrang Dal received lukewarm response. Public transport too was unaffected.

Udupi SP Dr Boralingaiah and Udupi DySP Dr Prabhudev Mane arrived in Brahmavar and took stock of the situation. Security was tightened under the supervision of Brahmavar circle inspector Arun Nayak and SI Girish Kumar.

The Brahmavar police registered cases against 20 persons including Suprasad Shetty, Vilas Nayak and Bajrang Dal convener Sunil K R for vandalising shops and police jeep.

Meanwhile, the district BJP condemned the Congress administration and alleged that innocents had been arrested by the police while the actual culprits remain at large. Karkala MLA Sunil Kumar, former minister Kota Srinivas Poojary, former MLAs Raghupati Bhat and Lalaji Mendon, and BJP district president Thingale Vikramarjuna Hegde condemned the incident.

Dharna by MLA

Udupi MLA Pramod Madhwaraj arrived at Brahmavar police station and along with Congress party workers sat on dharna, demanding immediate arrest of those who had created the disturbance and disrupted peace by calling for bandh.

"There is no connection between arrest of Dinesh Mendon and Brahmavar bandh. The bandh is politically motivated," alleged the Congress workers, condemning the Bajrang Dal protestors for causing damage to public and police property.

Block Congress president Rajesh Shetty Birthi, leaders Janardhan Tonse, Yatish Karkera, Anand Poojary and others took part in the dharna.

Similarly, the VHP and Bajrang Dal activists staged a dharna in front of the office of Brahmavar circle inspector in protest of the police lathi charge.