Activists of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on Wednesday prevented the Bengaluru police from arresting VHP organising secretary Gopal Bhat, while he was attending a meeting at Goods shed Road here.
A team of officers from the Banashankari police station, Bengaluru, detained Bhat and told the VHP leaders and the activists that they were taking him to the Khade Bazaar police station and instead tried to take him to Bengaluru.
The VHP and RSS activists followed the police vehicle and stopped it near Fort Lake, as it was moving outside the city. They then forced the Bengaluru police to take Bhat to the Belagavi police commissioner’s office.
At the commissioner’s office, the Bengaluru police said they had detained Bhat in connection with the VHP rally in Bengaluru and that he would be produced before the Bengaluru police commissioner.
MP Suresh Angadi, advocate Ramesh Deshpande, Kiran Jadhav, Deepak Jamkhandi, Raju Chikangoudar and others opposed the action of the Bengaluru police.
They were also seen arguing with Police Commissioner S Ravi over Gopal’s “illegal detention”. They assured him that they would produce Bhat before the Bengaluru police commissioner and there was no need for his arrest.
After talks with Police Commissioner Ravi, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Banashankari, Bengaluru, Suresh left empty-handed, with the VHP leaders promising to bring Bhat to Bengaluru on Thursday.
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