The BJP workers held a protest in front of Vidyaranyapura police station on Thursday against those who allegedly assaulted three people who were raising “Jai Shri Ram” slogans, even as Shobha Karandlaje, BJP candidate from Bengaluru North Lok Sabha constituency, jumped into the fray as well.
Ms. Karandlaje visited the houses of those assaulted in the incident and condemned the attack. “As per our information, youths from the Muslim community first took objection to the boys raising ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans and later assaulted them. It was Ramanavami festivaland our youths celebrate the festival in different ways and there shouldn’t be any bar on that,” she said, demanding a probe into the case.
Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashok blamed “appeasement politics” of the State government for “rise in such incidents in the city” and said voters will teach the Congress a lesson in the elections.
The BJP had held a similar protest in Chickpet in March over an alleged incident where a Hindu shopkeeper was assaulted allegedly over playing bhajans on a speaker. However, both Hindus and Muslims were arrested in the case and local BJP MLA Uday Garudachar had claimed the incident was not “communal”.
