Wadi and Chittapur towns in Kalaburagi districts saw flash protests on November 8 after posters reading ‘Priyank Kharge Missing’ emerged at a few places.
Enraged by the posters, which were allegedly pasted by BJP workers led by former zilla panchayat member Aravind Chauhan, hundreds of Congress workers staged a demonstration at Lodging Cross in Chittapur blocking the road.
The posters, which showed Mr. Priyank who represents Chittapur constituency in the Assembly, read that the MLA is missing from the constituency for the last one-and-a-half months and appealed to the people to ask him to visit the constituency if they found him.
Congress party workers alleged that Mr. Chauhan and his followers pasted the posters to defame Mr. Priyank and disturb peace in society and demanded their arrest. They warned of intensifying their agitation if the offenders were not arrested.
The spontaneous protest brought traffic movement to a standstill. The protesters backed off only after Circle Inspector of Police Prakash Yatanoor promised to file a case against those who tried to disturb the peace.
When Mr. Chauhan left Chittapur for Wadi, police stopped him at Ravoor village. However, hundreds of Congress workers and Mr. Priyank’s fans surrounded Mr. Chauhan. They exchanged heated words with him in the presence of the police creating a tense atmosphere for some time. Some Congress party workers attempted to drag him out of his car while others encircled the vehicle raising slogans against him.
Police managed to take Mr. Chauhan to Chittapur police station.
In Wadi, Congress workers protested in front of the police station and blocked roads demanding the arrest of Mr. Chauhan. Police had to use canes to disperse the mob.
