The police on Monday averted a probable face-off between hundreds of members of various sub-sects of Lingayat community and BJP members supporting Dharwad MP Pralhad Joshi, by preventing the Lingayat community members from carrying out their plan of laying seige to the residence of Mr. Joshi.
The police had placed barricades several hundred metres before the residence and did not allow the protesters to proceed further. After they engaged in a war of words with the police and attempted to march ahead, a group of leaders were detained by the police as a precautionary measure. A group of 31 members which included HDMC councillors Prafullachandra Rayanagoudar (Cong) and Rajanna Koravi (JD-S) was subsequently released.
The Lingayat community members had called for the protest alleging that Mr. Joshi was the man behind the misinformation campaign against Minister for Mines and Geology and district-in-charge Vinay Kulkarni, who is heading the Lingayat movement for independent religion status as national president of Basava Sene.
Last week, holding a meeting under the aegis of “Lingayata Ola Pangadagala Okkuta” (Federation of Subsects of Lingayat community), the members had decided to lay seige to the residence of Mr. Joshi condemning his role.
Support for Joshi
On Monday, as members of the federation started assembling at Hanuman Temple at Nagashettikoppa, Lingayat leaders of BJP including MLA Arvind Bellad, MLCs Pradeep Shettar and Somanna Bevinamarad, a few former MLAs and their supporters assembled before the residence of Mr. Joshi for a ‘counter protest’.
As the BJP supporters waited at the residence of Mr. Joshi, the police allowed the Lingayat members to take out a protest march from Hanuman Temple to Ramesh Bhavan but did not allow them to proceed further. Even after the detention of some leaders and members, the protesters staged a dharna. They held placards criticising Mr. Joshi for his ‘conspiracy’. They withdrew their protest issuing a warning to Mr. Joshi.
Speaking to presspersons at his residence, Mr. Joshi asked Mr. Vinay Kulkarni to step down and face inquiry if he had no role in the murder case of BJP leader Yogishgouda Goudar. He said the State government should also hold an inquiry to find out if there was any conspiracy to frame the Minister.
