The police detained nearly 600 Vishwa Hindu Parishad workers in North Dinajpur district of West Bengal on Sunday as they tried to take out a rally at Raiganj in violation of prohibitory orders. Senior VHP leader Pravin Togadia, banned from entering the State, was scheduled to address a public meeting following the rally.
Superintendent of Police, North Dinajpur, Syed Waqar Raza told The Hindu that the detained workers would be arrested.On Thursday, the VHP moved the Calcutta High Court challenging the ban imposed by the State government on Mr. Togadia. Its West Bengal leadership said the number of those “arrested” was much higher. “They have arrested nearly 2,000 VHP workers from various places in North Dinajpur when they tried to reach the venue of the rally,” VHP organisational secretary Sachindranath Sinha said. The VHP leadership alleged that the police lathi-charged supporters of the organisation at the Raiganj station. Mr. Raza denied it.
On Saturday, the VHP’s State-level leaders accused the Mamata government of adopting a stance of “political confrontation” by imposing the ban on Mr. Togadia.
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Mr. Togadia’s entry into the State was banned by the West Bengal government fearing “communal tension and disruption in public tranquillity.”
VHP North Dinajpur district secretary Jyotirmoy Kundu said the activists were taking out a procession to the Raiganj Merchant Club field, the venue of the rally, when the police detained them.
The VHP had announced to hold a ‘Dharm Sammelan’ meeting at the Raiganj Merchant Club field to commemorate 50 years of VHP’s existence. The meeting was to be addressed by Mr. Togadia.