Guwahati: The state unit of the BJP was barred from taking out a torch rally from Sonaram playground by police this evening. Party members had assembled at the playground, but were stopped before they could begin the rally.
The BJP planned to organise the torch rally to protest against the Congress government for misusing police in the arrest of four of its members in connection with the desecration of the statue of St John Bosco. It claimed that its members were in “no way” involved in this incident.
The torch rally was to end at the Mahabir Park in Bharalumukh, The Telegraph reported.
The BJP will organise a 12-hour hunger strike in the city tomorrow and its various district units will stage dharnas across the state.
“As part of our protest, we organised a torch rally from Sonaram playground to Mahabir Park today. But when we assembled at the playground, the police, who were present at the site, closed the gates and said we cannot take out the rally. We were protesting in a democratic manner and if the district administration and the police stop us from speaking our minds or protesting against an issue in this manner, it is a violation of our fundamental rights,” the vice-president of the state BJP, Shantanu Bharali, said.
“The district administration must have definitely received orders from the state government to stop us from protesting in a democratic manner. Now the Congress government will not even allow us to speak on any issue or point out its faults. We have plans to stage a 12-hour hunger strike at Dighalipukhuri from 6am tomorrow and have applied for permission,” Bharali said.
The state unit of the BJP yesterday organised a dharna in front of Raj Bhavan and submitted a memorandum, stating their various demands, to the governor.
The police said the protesters were not allowed to take out the torch rally because of security reasons.
“The BJP was taking out a rally with torches and as fire itself is a hazardous thing, we did not allow them to take out the rally. We also did not allow it for security reasons before Independence Day,” Guwahati police commissioner Mukesh Agarwalla said.
“It is not that we do not allow peaceful protests. Many organisations stage dharnas frequently in the city. We had allowed the BJP to stage a dharna in front of the Raj Bhavan yesterday and have also given it permission to sit on a hunger strike at Dighalipukhuri tomorrow,” said Agarwalla.