POLICE SAY 'NO' TO BJP'S 'MYSURU CHALO' RALLY

Vijayendra, Ashoka disappointed, return to B'luru; LoP accuses state govt of indulging in vote bank politics

- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Mysuru

BJP and Rashtra Suraksha Janandolana Samiti activists were disappointed on Monday as the police denied them permission to hold a massive 'Mysuru Chalo' rally against violence at Udayagiri police station.

BJP state president BY Vijayendra and Leader of Opposition R Ashoka, who had come to Mysuru to participate in the rally, returned to Bengaluru without attending the protest, but said they will continue their fight against Congress government's anti-Hindu policies.

The samiti had called for a rally from Gun House Circle to Kote Anjaneya Swamy Temple near Mysuru Palace, condemning the violence and had sought permission from the police.

Meanwhile, the Dalitha Mahasabha and Mysuru District Youth Congress Committee too had demanded permission to hold separate rallies on the same stretch against BJP for allegedly portraying the Muslim community in a negative light and to spread harmony.

Samiti, meanwhile, approached the high court.

The police had made elaborate bandobast with over a thousand personnel deployed on the stretch. BJP and Samiti leaders came near the Gun House Circle in the morning, but the police sent them back.

The situation turned tense after Vijayendra and Ashoka arrived in Mysuru. While Vijayendra stayed at a private hotel on the city outskirts, Ashoka came to Government Guest House in Nazarbad and

The single-judge bench of Justice R Devdas, who heard arguments from both parties, directed the police to allow a peaceful protest at University of Mysore's football ground at 3.30 pm and prohibited participants from making any provocative statements.