The Hindu : Karnataka News : A damp squib in Bangalore, many other places

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Nov 23, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

A damp squib in Bangalore, many other places

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, NOV. 22. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad's call for bandh on Monday in protest against the arrest of the Sankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, Sri Jayendra Saraswathi, did not evoke any response in Bangalore.

The Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order), H.T. Kishore Chandra, told The Hindu that normal life was not affected in the city. Educational institutions, government offices and business establishments functioned as usual.

Bharatiya Janata Party workers staged a demonstration in front of Mahatma Gandhi statue on Mahatma Gandhi Road for the second day on Monday to protest the seer's arrest.

The BJP General Secretary, H.N. Ananth Kumar; the President of the State unit of the party, Jagadish Shettar; and the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, B.S. Yediyurappa, were among those who participated in the protest.

The bandh was peaceful in Dakshina Kannada barring a few stone throwing incidents. But the inconvenience caused to bus passengers and office-goers was considerable.

According to the Superintendent of Police, Soumendhu Mukherjee, two private vehicles and two Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses were damaged when some persons threw stones at them.

In Hassan district, the bandh evoked good response in Sakleshpur, while it was partial at Belur.

MLA held

In Davangere, M.P. Renukacharya, MLA for Honnali and many BJP and Bajrang Dal activists were arrested at Honnali when they staged a dharana before the tahasildar's office. The MLA was later released.

The bandh in the town was partial. Many cinemas and hotels remained closed. Business establishments functioned as usual. The police took into preventive arrest35 activists of VHP, RSS and BJP.

Near total in Mysore

Mysore experienced a near total bandh. The KSRTC suspended bus services after a few of them were stoned.

There was no response to the bandh call in Kodagu. Buses plied as usual and government offices, educational institutions, and banks were open. However, some shopkeepers in Virajpet town preferred to down shutters in the morning.

The VHP and BJP members staged a dharna in front of the Deputy Commissioner's office in Madikeri protesting against the arrest of Sri Jayendra Saraswathi. The BJP members, in a memorandum addressed to the President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, sought the dismissal of the UPA Government at the Centre, blaming it for the arrest of the Kanchi seer.

In Gulbarga, the city unit of the BJP held a demonstration in front of the Deputy Commissioner's office demanding the immediate and unconditional release of Sri Jayendra Saraswati. The BJP workers, led by the city unit president, Dayaghan Dharwardkar, raised slogans against the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, and the Tamil Nadu police for allegedly framing the Sankaracharya in a murder case. They later submitted a memorandum addressed to the President seeking his intervention in the matter.

There was lukewarm response in Raichur city to the bandh call. Life in the city was not hit.

Life hit

Life was affected in Hospet in Bellary district for some time, but there was no response to the bandh in other parts of the State. Four lorries were damaged in a stone-throwing incident in Hospet.

Four persons, including the district convenor of Bajrang Dal, Appu Rao, and Gudli Parasappa, councillor, were arrested in connection with the stone-throwing incident. They were later released on bail.

Almost all shops and business establishments, schools and educational institutions remained closed and movement of vehicular traffic came to a halt.

In Bellary city, VHP activists took out a procession and submitted a memorandum to the President, through the Deputy Commissioner.

The VHP strongly condemned the arrest of the seer and sought his release immediately.

Pankaj Kumar Thakur, Superintendent of Police, told The Hindu that the windshield of a lorry was damaged in a stone-throwing incident. Except for this incident, the bandh was peaceful.

Tumkur district did not observe the bandh. M.Y. Rudresh, convenor of the BJP Yuva Morcha, told The Hindu that the party leaders were busy with an important public function and hence would organise a dharna on Friday. Some schools let off children early. Colleges, business establishments, banks, and offices functioned normally.

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