Siddaramaiah, several other top Congress leaders detained by police in Bengaluru
Bengaluru: Several Karnataka Congress leaders, including its president Dinesh Gundu Rao and leader of the opposition Siddaramaiah, were detained by the police here on Saturday, as they marched to besiege Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa's office to protest against the alleged misuse of the police department by the BJP government in the state.
Rao and Bangalore rural MP D K Suresh tried to jump the barricade erected by the police to stop them, and march towards the Chief Ministers residence, but were stopped midway and detained.
The march, which began from Gandhi statue on Race Course Road, led to a traffic pile-up.
State Congress had organised the protest over sedition case filed against a Bidar school and arrest of a parent and the headmistress (now on bail) for their alleged involvement in staging a drama portraying Prime Minister Narendra Modi in poor light in connection with the (Citizenship Amendment Act) and NRC (National Register of Citizens).
The principal opposition party in the state alleged misuse of the police department by the state government to book cases against those opposing BJP and its "divisive policies".
As he was being detained, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah termed the police action as undemocratic.
"Police have no right to suppress or take away our rights," he said.
The Congress had planned to lay siege to Chief Ministers office as law was being violated across the state and false cases were being filed for sedition against political opponents, especially from Congress and those opposing the CAA and NRC, Siddaramaiah said.
Despite BJP activists using "filthy language and making anti-national comments", no cases were filed against them.
He alleged that BJP was trying to suppress Congress, using the police, and pointed out that cases have been booked against its leader U T Khader and a student from Mysuru for opposing CAA and NRC, while no cases have been filed against ruling party leaders like Somashekara Reddy and AnantKumar Hegde for allegedly making inflammatory speeches.
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Four engineering students held hostage, robbed of Rs 1.5 lakh near Bengaluru
Bengaluru (PTI): Four engineering students were allegedly held captive and robbed of Rs 1.5 lakh while returning after having biryani at a popular food joint on the outskirts of the city, police said on Tuesday.
The incident occurred on December 21 when the students were returning on two-wheelers from an early morning trip to an eatery in Hoskote, they said.
One of the accused has been arrested, and efforts are on to nab the remaining suspects, police said.
According to the police, the students are from a private college in Bagalur. While returning from the eatery, they were allegedly intercepted near a toll plaza by a gang of men, who thrashed them and took away their mobile phones and two-wheelers.
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The gang allegedly took the students to a shed near Medahalli, held them captive, and robbed them. The assailants allegedly took Rs 40,000 in cash and transferred Rs 1.10 lakh from the victims’ bank accounts, a senior police officer said.
However, the students later got their vehicles back, he said.
Based on a complaint lodged by one of the students, a case has been registered at Avalahalli police station under sections related to kidnapping and dacoity. Further investigation is underway, police said.
