BJP and INC were involved in a public altercation in Vijayanagar over banners and hoardings.
Police officials have tightened security at the BGS Stadium ground, in MC Layout, Vijayanagar. The stadium will be closed till after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bengaluru on March 25, 2023. This comes after the clash that broke out between Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Indian National Congress (INC) on March 17, Friday.
Police officers from the Govindarajanagar Police Station said that the stadium will be closed for a while till Prime Minister’s visit to Bengaluru on March 25. “We have five police officers who will be present at this location to ensure that there is no trespassing”. They said that they would not vacate this location as the workers might create a scene again. The stadium is closed for both political and non-political activities until they receive an order to leave this place, they added.
The stadium comes under Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the Congress workers claim that they took permission from the BBMP to organize a function namely, Stree Shakthi Mahila Samavesha. The event was scheduled for March 19, 2023. The workers of both parties fought over the placement of banners and hoardings by Congress after the BJP workers opposed it.
Krishnappa M, an INC member of the legislative assembly (MLA) for Vijaynagara constituency, said, “Other parties are insecure about our work and initiatives, they leave no stone unturned to create obstacles in our events and rallies. We will conduct this rally again with the officials’ permission and ensure this does not repeat.”
M.G. Mahesh, spokesperson for BJP, said, “We are currently making arrangements for the arrival of the Home Minister (Amit Shah).” He added that his party workers did not initiate a fight and they have no problem with others conducting functions or events. The spokesperson said they are being blamed for the trouble that INC has caused.
The permission granted to hold the event has been canceled until further notice. Complaints have been filed against 36 people, out of the 80 who were involved in the clash, at the Govindarajanagar Police Station.
Two of the police constables, Nethaji and Varadaraju were injured during the stone pelting. Police are on the look-out for some of the accused who ran away from the site right after police lathi-charged both groups. The police officers from the Govindarajanagar Police Station said, “We are yet to arrest the accused involved in this chaos, we will surely make progress with this within this week.”
