Activists from Democratic Youth Federation of India, Forum Against Harassment of Women, Students Federation of India and other persons staged a black flag demonstration against the visit of Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi here on Friday.
DYFI city unit Secretary Imtiyaz said Mr. Gandhi does not have any moral right to seek votes in the region where their own government had failed to take effective action to prevent attacks on women. The Congress government had also failed in taking action against the persons involved in making hate speeches that disturbed peace of the region, he said.
‘No action’Mangalore City Corporation Councillor and DYFI activist Dayanand Shetty said attacks on women and men from different communities, that were happening during the BJP rule, had continued during the Congress rule too. The Congress government had failed in taking action against the BJP and Sangh Parivar activists who were behind such incidents, he alleged.
Activist Vidya Dinker alleged the Congress had not come to the support of their own councillor, who was allegedly sexually harassed in Kulai. It was time for action against the government that has been a mute spectator to incidents that disturb peace in the region, she said. As the vice president of the Congress, Mr. Gandhi needed to know how his party was working in Karnataka, she said.
The protest started near the office of the Deputy Commissioner around 4.30 p.m., an hour before Mr. Gandhi arrived at Nehru Maidan, the venue of the public meeting. As the activists started to move, the police blocked their way and forced them into a bus and police van. The activists were released later.
