Ashoka, Bellad and others detained during BJP's protest over reopening of 31-year-old Ram temple agitation case

Karnataka Assembly's Leader of Opposition R Ashoka claimed an innocent was arrested by 'digging up' a 31-year-old Ram temple agitation case as per the direction of Siddaramaiah government.

Hubballi: BJP workers including Leader of Opposition in Legislative Assembly R Ashoka and Deputy Leader of Opposition in Assembly Arvind Bellad were detained by police in Hubballi on Wednesday when they tried to picket the Town Police Station condemning the arrest of one Shrikanth Pujari in connection with a 1992 Ram Janmabhoomi agitation violence case.

Terming the arrest as an anti-Hindu act of the Congress government when Ram Mandir consecration ceremony in Ayodhya is nearing, BJP workers staged a protest in front of the police station.

Police detained them when they tried to picket the police station demanding the suspension of the police inspector who arrested Pujari.

Ashoka charged that an innocent was arrested by 'digging up' a 31-year-old case as per the direction of Siddaramaiah government. "They (Congress) are jealous of Ram Mandir construction, and they know that they would not win even a single seat in State in coming Lok Sabha elections. Therefore they are doing this to threaten Hindus, in the name of long pending cases," Ashoka said.

Bellad accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of Muslim appeasement and said this arrest was made to divert people's attention from Congress government's failures.

BJP leaders alleged that Congress government wants to threaten Hindus through such arrests as it is jealous of Ram Mandir construction.

MLAs Mahesh Tenginakai, MLC Pradeep Shettar, former MLA Ashok Katwe and other BJP leaders were among the detained.

BJP workers had gathered at the protest venue over an hour before Ashoka and other leaders arrived, and they raised slogans against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Home Minister G Parameshwara, MLA Prasad Abbayya, MLC Jagadish Shettar and others, terming them anti-Hindu. 'Jai Shriram' slogan was also raised repeatedly.

Bhajans were also sung and saffron flags were displayed.

Heavy police bundobust was arranged, and vehicular movement on a stretch of Broadway where Town Police Station is located was also prohibited during the protest.

Police Commissioner Renuka Sukumar stated that nearly 150 protesters were detained (preventive arrest). Regarding the demand for action against Police Inspector M M Tahsildar, she said that would be looked into as per rules.