Partial bandh in Mangaluru as Sangh Parivar opposes Pinarayi Vijayan’s visit

Mangaluru, Feb 25: The Dakshina Kannada district wide dawn-to-dusk hartal called by the Hindutva outfits on Saturday in protest against the Mangaluru visit of Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan evoked mixed response in the city.

Bharatiya Janata Party has officially backed the hartal call given by Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal, Hindu Jagarana Vedike and Sri Rame Sene, who accused Vijayan of sponsoring political violence against Sangh Parivar in Kerala.

The supporters of Sangh Parivar in the city opted for a voluntary bandh and decided not to open their shops and offices on Saturday. Educational institutions owned by Sangh Parivar had declared holiday on Saturday. Many banks and hotels also remained shut in the morning.

However, enforcement of prohibitory orders under section 144 of CrPC under the limits of Mangaluru city police commissionerate prevented the possibilities of forcible bandh in the city. Hence, many government and private vehicles including buses and auto-rickshaws were seen on the city roads.

Sporadic incidents of violence and tyre burning reported last night. Two buses belonging to Kerala state road corporation limited were attacked by the miscreants at Talapady and Beeri on Friday night. It is learnt that the miscreants also tried to set the bus on fire near Talapady. However, no major untoward incidents reported in the city on Saturday morning.

Earlier, Udupi-Chikkamagaluru?MP?Shobha Karandlaje had fretted over the repeat of the clash that erupted during Tipu Jayanti in Kodagu in 2015, with the influx of a large number of “anti-social elements” from the neighbouring Kerala state for the harmony meet organised by CPM here on?Saturday.

Kerala BJP general secretary K Surendran said the call for district hartal was against the murder of people opposed to Communist ideology in Kannur and neighbouring areas. “Mr. Vijayan has no moral right to speak on communal harmony. He was not allowed to speak recently in Madhya Pradesh,” he said.

Security stepped up

While prohibiting protests on Saturday, the city police have made unprecedented security arrangements to ensure the smooth conduct of the Karavali Souharda Rally in which Vijayan is taking part at Nehru Maidan today.

In Mangaluru city alone, over 2,000 policemen including six SPs, 10 DySPs and 20 inspectors have been deployed. Additional Director-General of Police (Law and Order) Alok Mohan is overseeing the security arrangements in the district.

Police Commissioner M. Chandra Sekhar said that illegal assembly and holding of processions, other than the Karavali Souharda Rally, between 6 p.m. of Friday (February 24) and 6 a.m. of Sunday (February 26) has been banned.

Mr. Sekhar said that the imposition of prohibitory orders was to keep the mischief-mongers at bay. The organisers of the souharda rally have been directed to end the programme within the given time, he said.

Also Read:

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