Karnataka: ABVP continues protest; Amnesty office closed

BENGALURU: Continuing their protest for the fifth day, the ABVP activists continued the massive rally in Malleswaram demanding action against Amnesty International India over anti-India slogan issue on Thursday.

Amid heavy deployment of police force, the members took out the rally from 13th Cross Malleswaram to the Malleswaram Circle. As a preventive measure, there was heavy police deployment, including three DCPs, three KSRP platoons led by DCP North T.R. Suresh near the Government Women’s College Malleswaram to avoid any untoward incident. Policemen were also deployed at some colleges in Rajajinagar to prevent students from holding a rally.

According to the police, the protesters were stopped by the police when they attempted to enter college. The women agitators were also seen tying rakhis to policemen in Malleswaram and Rajajinagar.

Amnesty staff work from home
With protestors threatening to march to Amnesty International’s office in Indiranagar, the management decided to close down the office. The NGO on Thursday asked its 89 employees to work from home.

On Wednesday, ABVP had announced that they will not call off the protest until the state government impose ban on Amnesty and arrest those who had shouted anti-national slogans. Police had requested the college managements not to allow students to protest as they would disrupt normal life. “We are taking different approaches to convince students to drop their protest,” a police official said.

Police to question Amnesty officials, ABVP activists
The city police will on Friday question the representatives of Amnesty International India (AII) in connection with the event organised on August 13.  According to a senior police officer while some of the members were questioned on Wednesday, the police will continue questioning other representatives from Amnesty and the activists of ABVP. Additional Commissioner of Police (West) K.S.R. Charan Reddy told this newspaper, “We questioned a few representatives from Amnesty on Wednesday and will continue questioning on Friday. On Thursday, the police did not question anyone.”