Protest by Dakshina Kannada District BJP against state government

Protest by Dakshina Kannada District BJP against state government

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, June 29, 2024: Accusing the state government of being mired in corruption, a protest organized by the Dakshina Kannada district BJP near the Mangalore Mini Vidhana Soudha in Hampankatta on Friday led to a scuffle between the police and the protesters.

The protestors tried to block the road, disrupting the smooth flow of traffic, prompting DCP Siddharth Goyal to instruct them to clear the way. When BJP workers attempted to push the barricades in defiance, the DCP warned them that a lathi charge might become necessary.

During this time, pushing and shoving ensued between the activists and the police. Some BJP workers managed to push through the barricades and attempted to lay siege to the District Collector’s office.

As the protest intensified, the police detained former MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, MLAs Vedavyas Kamath, Bhagirathi Murulya, Pratap Simha Nayak, former Legislative Council member K. Monappa Bhandari, Mangalore City Corporation Deputy Mayor Sunitha, BJP district president Satish Kumpala, and leaders Harikrishna Bantwal, Premanand Shetty, Santosh Kumar Boliyar, Kishore Kumar, Roopashree Poojari, Poornima, Harish Bijatre, Jagannath, Dinesh Amtur, among others, who were later released.

Before being detained, former MP Nalin Kumar Kateel addressed the protestors, alleging that the state Congress government was engaged in looting. He accused the government, which came to power with various promises, of now being engulfed in corruption.