Karnataka - Madikeri   

Police arrest group for blocking road

By Our Staff Correspondent

MADIKERI, MARCH 22. The Virajpet Police arrested a group of persons who blocked traffic at Perumbadi on Kodagu-Kerala Road near Virajpet in protest against the poor road conditions in the district, particularly the Virajpet-Makutta road, according to information reaching here on Tuesday.

Members of the Communist Party of India, the Kodagu Growers Federation, the Autorickshaw Owners and Drivers Association had given a call for "Virajpet Bandh" today in protest against the poor road conditions, demanding that the authorities take up repairs.

A few shops owned by a particular section of traders in Virajpet town had closed down following the call.

Trouble started when the members of the Virajpet Chamber of Commerce, Cauvery Sene and others wanted the traders to open the shops.

The supporters of the bandh, including A.R. Krishna Kumar, Peter Lobo, Katti Mandaiah and others took out a procession from Virajpet to Perumbadi and staged a dharna at the gate, blocking vehicular traffic. They even stopped a Kerala State bus on its way to Kodagu at the Perumbadi Gate.

This enraged the Cauvery Sene and a few others who too had gone to the spot from Virajpet in cars and jeeps to protest against the men staging dharna. But Mr. Krishna Kumar and others lay on the ground challenging the opponents to run their vehicles over them.

The Assistant Commissioner, Nagaraj, the Executive Engineer of the Public Works Department, Basappa, and the Virajpet Deputy Superintendent of Police, Ashok Anvekar, arrived on the spot to pacify the people staging dharna.

Soon, Mr. Anvekar ordered arrest of the people who had staged rasta roko.

Later, addressing a press conference in Gonicoppa, Mr. Krishna Kumar and others charged Mr. Anvekar with supporting the antagonists of the dharna by arresting them and demanded that the Government o transfer the police official for his alleged partisan attitude.

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Police arrest group for blocking road

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