After their repeated appeals went in vain, the police resorted to mild baton charge to disperse the “troublemaking” mob at Vivekananda Circle here on Tuesday.
Four people were arrested in connection with this. Around fifty people, led by leaders of pro-Hindu outfits, were protesting against district administration’s “discriminative approach” in widening the Netaji Road. Their main allegation was that the district administration was appeasing Muslims by allowing them to reconstruct the mosque which was partially demolished recently as part of the road-widening drive.
Raising slogans against the district administration, the agitating Hindu activists held a protest right on the road and burnt tyres leading to disruption of traffic movement for hours. The police prevented them when they attempted to install an idol of a Hindu deity all-of-a-sudden at Vivekananda Circle, which led to heated exchange of words. Assistant Commissioner M.P. Maruthi, Assistant Superintendent of Police J. Papayya, Deputy Superintendent of Police Nelagar, Circle Inspector Suresh Talawar, Police Sub-Inspector Dadavali and other officials had camped in the area.
“The leaders of some Hindu outfits are deliberately misleading the public. As their provocative agitation disrupted traffic movement and public life, we had to mildly use force to maintain law and order,” Chetan Singh Rathor, Superintendent of Police, told The Hindu over phone. There is no question of discrimination at all. Road-widening is influenced purely by developmental concerns and is done in the larger public interest after duly consulting all stake holders and giving sufficient time.
“Now some vested interests are taking up the issue for creating tension in society. I appeal the public to not to fall prey to the misinformation,” Deputy Commissioner S. Sasikanth Senthil said.
