The visit of Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Anant Kumar Hegde, who recently stirred a controversy with his call for changing the Constitution and passed remarks mocking secularists, to Kalaburagi evoked protests from activists on Wednesday.
Activists associated with various organisations, including Dalit, farmer, labour and women, made an attempt to barge into Aiwan-e-Shahi guesthouse where the Minister was staying. However, the police detained the activists who were waving black flags and rigorously raising slogans against the Minister, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Bharatiya Janata Party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Soon after, another team of youths associated with Pragna Yuvaka Sangha emerged with black flags near PDA Engineering College where the Minister was scheduled to address a public meeting and inaugurate a job fair and began to raise slogans. The police immediately arrested them.
In the third incident, some people from Pala village who arrived in the city to participate in the agitation were also detained. All the agitating activists were packed in police vehicles and transported to the police district headquarters where they were kept till the Minister left the city. The activists continued to protest in police custody by singing songs, delivering speeches and raising slogans against the Minister.
Anticipating the protests, heavy police force was deployed near the guesthouse as well as PDA Engineering College.
Meanwhile, Mr. Hegde refused to speak to presspersons saying, “No issues to speak [to the press].”
Leaders of various organisations, including Arjun Bhadre, Malleshi Sajjan, Vittal Doddamani, Mallappa Hosamani, Hanumantha Yalasangi, Chandamma and Ashwini, were among the detained.
