Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SB)
Mangaluru, Jun 23: The protest against the recent attacks on members of Hindu community, organised by Hindu Hitarakshana Vedike and planned to be held on June 24 at BC Road, Bantwal has been postponed in the wake of prohibitory orders in the district.
Addressing a press meet here on on Friday June 23, Harish Poonja, convener of Hindu Hitarakshana Vedike said, "As Section 144 has been imposed in the district, we have postponed our massive protest against the repeated attacks on the Hindu community. We will announce the revised date soon.
"We are cooperating with the police department in restoring peace in the district. Hence we have decided to postpone our programme to a later date, once the prohibitory orders are lifted.
"The state government has completely failed to control the law and order in Dakshina Kannada. Due to the government's slumber, the Hindu community is suffering in our district. Innocents are being targeted by anti-social elements. We are not cancelling our protest but only rescheduling it," he said.
The VHP and Bajrang Dal who are also supporting the protest, had earlier stated that the main agenda of the protest was to decry love Jihad, attack on Hindu temples and worship places, illegal transportation of cow and cow slaughter, and threatening actions of the government towards the Hindu community. The BJP had stated that the protest was also against district in-charge minister Ramanath Rai for allegedly asking the police to arrest RSS leader Dr Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat for the clashes happening in Bantwal.
On Friday June 22, ADGP Alok Mohan during his visit to Bantwal had said that the BJP was not granted permission to stage the protest in view of prohibitory orders in the district.
Yeddyurappa's visit postponed
Meanwhile, Dakshina Kannada district BJP president Sanjeeva Matandoor said in a press release that the mass contact campaign programmes that were scheduled to take place on Saturday June 24 in Dakshina Kannada district under the leadership of state BJP president, B S Yeddyurappa, have been postponed in view of prohibitory orders in force in the district.