The protests against alleged obscenities during the Spring Zouk Island Festival held at the St. Mary's Island, off Udupi, from February 3 to 5, continued for the third day.
The members of the district unit of the Janata Dal (Secular) staged a dharna here on Tuesday demanding the resignation of MLA Raghupati Bhat and the transfer of Deputy Commissioner M.T. Reju over the use of drugs, free flow of alcohol, and alleged obscenities at the festival.
Speaking at the dharna, Janata Dal (S) leader M.G. Hegde demanded to know how drugs reached the island. “Were the intelligence department and police sleeping? If Mr. Reju did not know about this, he is unfit to be the Deputy Commissioner,” he said.
If the Congress or the JD(S) had organised such a festival, the BJP would have painted the entire town red by now. “Does the district administration have a record of the liquor supplied and consumed on the island during the festival? Who gave clearance for the festival to be held on the island?” he asked.
The “rave party at the St. Mary's Island” had exposed the true face of the BJP. “If Deputy Commissioner cannot understand the culture of this region, it is better if he seeks a transfer from here,” he said.
JD(S) district unit president Deviprasad Shetty said the Deputy Commissioner should be suspended and Mr. Bhat tender unconditional apology to the people for organising a rave party. In the name of tourism, the BJP wanted to promote obscenities in the coastal belt, he said. JD(S) leaders Vasudeva Rao, Shalini Shetty Kenchanur, Dillesh Shetty, M.H. Mohammed, Sharik Hussain, and Ramesh Shetty were present.
