Protests across Karnataka over Shivakumar arrest, bus services hit

A majority of services between Bengaluru and Mysuru suspended

A damaged KSRTC bus.

Violent protests after the arrest of Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar have forced the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) to cancel bus services in Ramanagar district. On Wednesday morning, the KSRTC also suspended a majority of services between Bengaluru and Mysuru.

An official of the KSRTC said that Bengaluru - Mysuru bus services were stopped following the instructions of the local police. A few services were operated to Mysuru via Magadi. “Normal services will be resumed soon after getting clearance from the local police,” said an official of the KSRTC.

Protesters pelted stones at more than 15 buses in Ramanagar district, including Kanakpura, the hometown of Mr. Shivakumar. A bus was burnt in Chunchi colony in Kanakpura by an unruly mob. In Bengaluru, stones were pelted at a Dharmasthala-bound bus.

Traffic was affected on the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway and some other roads in Mandya and Ramanagaram districts, with supporters squatting on roads to condemn Mr. Shivakumar’s arrest.

Hundreds of vehicles were stranded on the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway and Bengaluru-Kanakapura highway following the protests.

Supporters of Mr. Shivakumar raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah and burnt their effigies.

Protests were held at Ramanagaram town and at many places in Kanakapura of Ramanagaram district; and at Malavalli, Kala Muddana Doddi and Madarahalli in Mandya district.

“We have made security arrangements and have diverted the traffic through alternative roads due to the protests,” said senior police officials at Ramanagaram.

Protests across State

Condemning the arrest of Mr. Shivakumar, party leaders and cadre in Raichur took out a procession and staged a demonstration.

Sharan Prakash Patil, the former Medical Education Minister and Congress leader, termed the arrest of Mr. Shivakumar as “political terrorism unleashed by BJP national leadership to curb the political dissent”. He also alleged that the Modi-led Union government was resorting to arrests of Congress leaders to divert the people’s attention from real issues such as economic slowdown.

In Mangaluru, hundreds of Congress workers held a demonstration against the arrest, even as miscreants pelted stones on a few buses in and around the city. District Congress president and MLA K. Harish Kumar led the protesters in front of the district office in the city and shouted slogans against the ruling BJP and criticised the arrest as anti-democratic.

In Tumakuru, former MLA Rafiq Ahmed alleged that the BJP was targeting Congress leaders and practising vendetta politics and strongly opposed the arrest of Mr. Shivakumar.

Speaking at the district unit of the Congress office, Mr. Ahmed alleged that the ED officials called Mr. Shivakumar for an inquiry at Delhi and questioned him for four days. He was not even allowed to visit Bengaluru to celebrate Gowri and Ganesha festival with his family. On Tuesday, he was questioned continuously for eight hours and was not allowed to take food. Though he was co-operating with the ED, they had arrested him, which showed that it was a clear case of political vendetta, he said.