Shivamogga
Shivamogga district unit of the BJP complained to Deputy Commissioner R. Selvamani against the district police for registering a suo motu case against the party’s youth wing workers, who staged a protest during Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa’s visit to the city.
Shivamogga district BJP president T.D. Megharaj and other leaders met the Deputy Commissioner on Wednesday and submitted their memorandum. They alleged that the police were targeting BJP workers. “Our workers neither assaulted anyone nor damaged public property. But the police filed suo motu case against the workers. The police did not show due respect to the legislators, who visited the police station to inquire about the incident,” he alleged.
During Mr. Bangarappa’s review meeting at the zilla panchayat auditorium on July 26, the BJP workers staged a protest condemning the withdrawal of lessons on freedom fighters from the school textbooks. The police had arrested the protesters.
Mr. Megharaj said the police did not book a case against the Congress workers, who staged a protest during the Governor’s speech at Kuvempu University convocation on July 22, under serious sections. “The police are discriminating against the BJP workers. This should be stopped. Otherwise, the BJP will launch a series of protests,” he said.
Former Minister Hartal Halappa said the police were creating records for externment of a few BJP workers for political reasons. “The police are taking action as per the instructions of Congress legislators,” he alleged.
MLA S.N. Channabasappa and other BJP leaders were present.
