'Blackmail allegations': Eleven pro-Kannada activists detained for protesting near minister's house

Bengaluru: High Grounds police on Tuesday detained eleven people for protesting in front of Housing Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan’s house in central Bengaluru over the “blackmail” allegations made by his PA against Rupesh Rajanna, a pro-Kannada activist.

The protestors, led by Rajanna, attempted to lay siege to Khan’s house and were detained by the police around 12.45 pm. They were taken to the police station in a police van.

An officer overseeing the bandobast at Khan’s house told DH that no FIR had been filed and the detentions were preventive measures. He said that they had expected pro-Kannada activists to throng Khan’s house on Tuesday and had made adequate bandobast arrangements for the same.

On Monday, Rajanna took to X to dismiss “blackmail” allegations against him, made by the Housing Minister’s personal assistant, Sarfaraz Khan, and vowed to bring out the truth. He demanded documents for Sarfaraz’s claims and floated an open challenge.

“We will come to your office tomorrow; please be there, thank you,” Rajanna wrote in his X post.

Rajanna’s open challenge came after Sarfaraz Khan made a video to clarify corruption/bribery allegations against him after a purported audio recording of a phone call involving him and another Congress MLA was leaked. Sarfaraz had allegedly claimed that Rajanna was “blackmailing” in the name of a pro-Kannada organisation.